Onboard Explora 1 (Sept 25- Oct 13) with Hank

[happy cruzin]

1 minute ago, Hlitner said:

Thanks for posting.  There is no information provided onboard other than the standard “we don’t know” answer to most questions.  

Well, I guess it’s not very well attended then! 

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, happy cruzin said:

Well, I guess it’s not very well attended then! 

All we know is that our, twice confirmed reservation on the 7th, was cancelled without explanation.  We did reschedule but are taking bets whether it will really happen.  Our requests to see the menu have been always met with “we do not have a menu, but will send it to your suite…when available.  
 

Had dinner, last evening in Sakura, which is always excellent.  With the ship at 1/3 capacity there has never been an issue just walking into any restaurant.

 

There are still contractors, aboard who are constantly working on the decking.  This has inconvenienced some passengers because large portions of the decks (including the all weather Conservatory) are often closed for maintenance.  This is a beautiful ship and they will keep it in pristine condition no matter how inconvenient to the guests.

 

Those of us planning to stay aboard on Oct 12, still have little info on what to expect.  The best info has been found on CC.  They are offering several NYC excursions on the morning of the 12th (such as a 250 Euro pp visit to the Steinway factory.  
 

The question, that remains unanswered, is an estimate of how long we must stay off the ship, during the morning of the 12th.  With the EJ CEO coming aboard in Halifax, perhaps we will start to get some answers.

 

Last evening we met some passengers who have elected to take the EJ offer to spend the 12th at a Manhattan hotel.  They complained they have no confirmation, no information, and a call to the named hotel also got them no info or confirmation.  This all seems to be part of the EJ practice of keeping guests in the dark until the last possible minute.

 

Hank

[saminina]

Going back to your original post, I wondered why begin a review on the first day?   Glad you did, and it has been a wonderful read along the way.   Thanks for posting. 

 

Maybe the biggest takeaway so far is that there is nothing about EJ that favors extended voyages.

 

 

[Waltershipman]

9 minutes ago, saminina said:

Going back to your original post, I wondered why begin a review on the first day?   Glad you did, and it has been a wonderful read along the way.   Thanks for posting. 

 

Maybe the biggest takeaway so far is that there is nothing about EJ that favors extended voyages.

 

 

Well that being said i can only add that this is one grear cruise.  Think of it this way as an option of the menues change daily you select a couple items and eat if the menues do not change but you have a lot of options and choices its actually easy. For example i ate at Fil Rouge for the 2nd night in a row and ordered the exact same meal. WHY because it was absolutely amazing. 

 

On another note we are truly fortunate once in a life time to experience the Steinway piano virtuosos Absolutely wonderful 

 

Now please dont attack because im having a great time. We live in a world that if gratitude was the focus of all then every breath would be considered precious and actually it is

 

Lovely day to all

[Whipsnade]

Agree with Walter. We spent a month on Explora and loved every minute. Can’t wait to return. Some glitches? Yes. Nothing that can’t be fixed. 

[Hlitner]

We would echo Waltershipman’s comments about the entertainment.  This has been a terrific surprise since EJ downplayed entertainment in their brochure.  From day one. we have always enjoyed the performers and the Steinway artists have added another wonderful level.  The bad news for future cruisers is the Steinway folks will not likely be regulars.  
 

The more time we spend around the ship the more we are impressed with the quality of the decor.  From the various art works, lovely furniture, and even the light fixtures in the public rest rooms, the quality and design is the best we have seen on any ship.  We do wonder if some of the fabrics and light colored carpets will stand up to the test of time and guest abuse, but that is an issue for future cruisers.  
 

Some design features are subtle and smart.  We like the heated bathroom floors (which we can control via a thermostat) and the brilliant idea of having a vinyl strip on the top of the hanger bars (prevents hangers from shifting in rough seas) is well thought out.  The bedding is top class and the bath towels are decent and big (about 6 foot).  A lot to like about EJ.  
 

Hank

[PaulMCO]

18 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

Certainly not our experience on Seabourn. Try asking for ANY variation in the Thomas Keller restaurant and see what response you get 

Try asking to take your meal in a doggie bag at TK on Seabourn and you will get 1000 reasons why it can't be done.

[Waltershipman]

7 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We would echo Waltershipman’s comments about the entertainment.  This has been a terrific surprise since EJ downplayed entertainment in their brochure.  From day one. we have always enjoyed the performers and the Steinway artists have added another wonderful level.  The bad news for future cruisers is the Steinway folks will not likely be regulars.  
 

The more time we spend around the ship the more we are impressed with the quality of the decor.  From the various art works, lovely furniture, and even the light fixtures in the public rest rooms, the quality and design is the best we have seen on any ship.  We do wonder if some of the fabrics and light colored carpets will stand up to the test of time and guest abuse, but that is an issue for future cruisers.  
 

Some design features are subtle and smart.  We like the heated bathroom floors (which we can control via a thermostat) and the brilliant idea of having a vinyl strip on the top of the hanger bars (prevents hangers from shifting in rough seas) is well thought out.  The bedding is top class and the bath towels are decent and big (about 6 foot).  A lot to like about EJ.  
 

Hank

Thanks Hank well said

[Critically Cruising]

2 hours ago, Whipsnade said:

Agree with Walter. We spent a month on Explora and loved every minute. Can’t wait to return. Some glitches? Yes. Nothing that can’t be fixed. 

 

Which leads to the critical question:  Will it be fixed?

 

Given the rigidity of the staff and management onboard, that's more than just hypothetical.  And can that onboard rigidity be extrapolated to HQ staff in Europe?

 

 

[Waltershipman]

36 minutes ago, Critically Cruising said:

 

Which leads to the critical question:  Will it be fixed?

 

Given the rigidity of the staff and management onboard, that's more than just hypothetical.  And can that onboard rigidity be extrapolated to HQ staff in Europe?

 

 

Just saying the staff is highly professional just found out many on wait staff come from oceania some from silver sea too

[IdRathrBCruzn]

Regarding the lack of San Pellegrino... Are cans or bottles of any brand of soda water such as Schwepps or Canada Dry available for in-suite fridge? Thank you.

[Stickman1990]

2 minutes ago, IdRathrBCruzn said:

Regarding the lack of San Pellegrino.

 

A friend on our sailing got small bottles of San Pelligrino in her room fridge on request - so it is available if you push for ir

 

Our room attendant offered them to me but I decided I'd do my bit to save the planet and used the sparkling water onboard while in our suite and in bars and dining locations - I survived a couple of weeks unscathed

 

[Hlitner]

5 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

 

A friend on our sailing got small bottles of San Pelligrino in her room fridge on request - so it is available if you push for ir

 

Our room attendant offered them to me but I decided I'd do my bit to save the planet and used the sparkling water onboard while in our suite and in bars and dining locations - I survived a couple of weeks unscathed

 

We have not been able to get any of the bottles water brands in the bars or restaurants.

[Stickman1990]

5 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We have not been able to get any of the bottles water brands in the bars or restaurants.

As I said she only got small bottles of San Pelligrino in her suite 

We never bothered requesting it in bars or restaurants 

[IdRathrBCruzn]

Can we expect a carafe of sparkling water in our suite fridge like on Silversea? That would work just fine for us. Thank you!

[Hlitner]

9 minutes ago, IdRathrBCruzn said:

Can we expect a carafe of sparkling water in our suite fridge like on Silversea? That would work just fine for us. Thank you!

We have two carafes of plain water in our suite on a tray outside fridge.  There is no sparking and the ship made (just co2 and plain water) would not have enough shelf life to store in a suite

Hank

[Stickman1990]

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

There is no sparking and the ship made (just co2 and plain water) would not have enough shelf life to store in a suite

 

That is not correct based on my experience over a couple of weeks onboard - I had a carafe of the sparkling water in the fridge in our suite each day and it had enough bubbles for me. Our room attendant replenished both the sparkling and the still for my wife each day without prompting

 

If sparkling water is your thing you should try it

[Stickman1990]

19 minutes ago, IdRathrBCruzn said:

Can we expect a carafe of sparkling water in our suite fridge like on Silversea? That would work just fine for us

 

Yes you can - that's certainly not going to be an issue - just let your room attendant know - our standing order was 2 bottles of still and 1 of sparkling and they were replenished each day

[IdRathrBCruzn]

Thanks for the replies. My DW only drinks sparking water. She has a soda stream at home. The ship-made CO2 water would be fine at dining venues. I'm just curious as to how we can have it available for her in the suite. Should we bring some on board? She prefers Perrier so maybe we can pick up some liters of it in Quebec City and bring them onboard.

[IdRathrBCruzn]

3 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

 

That is not correct based on my experience over a couple of weeks onboard - I had a carafe of the sparkling water in the fridge in our suite each day and it had enough bubbles for me. Our room attendant replenished both the sparkling and the still for my wife each day without prompting

 

If sparkling water is your thing you should try it

 

OK! Great! This would be just fine. Thank you for confirming this can happen. 🙂

 

[Waltershipman]

8 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

 

That is not correct based on my experience over a couple of weeks onboard - I had a carafe of the sparkling water in the fridge in our suite each day and it had enough bubbles for me. Our room attendant replenished both the sparkling and the still for my wife each day without prompting

 

If sparkling water is your thing you should try it

Same for us 

[Hlitner]

14 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

 

That is not correct based on my experience over a couple of weeks onboard - I had a carafe of the sparkling water in the fridge in our suite each day and it had enough bubbles for me. Our room attendant replenished both the sparkling and the still for my wife each day without prompting

 

If sparkling water is your thing you should try it

We do enjoy sparking mineral water such as Pelligrino or Perrier.  The ship made stuff is simply plain water charged with a shot CO2 and lacks the subtle flavor found in mineral water.  We drink it because on this line it is our only option.  We do not sit in our suite just to drink water :).  We are social animals on cruises and are seldom in our suite except to sleep, shower and dress.

 

Since we cruise on many different lines we simply adapt.  On here it means no mineral water.  One could argue that any high end line should have both Pelligrino and Perrier at all bars and in dining venues.  Not a deal breaker, but just an annoying factor.  We could add that to the list of missing items along with Harvey’s Bristol Cream and Rye Whiskey.

[Stickman1990]

13 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Since we cruise on many different lines we simply adapt.  On here it means no mineral water.  One could argue that any high end line should have both Pelligrino and Perrier at all bars and in dining venues.  Not a deal breaker, but just an annoying factor. 

Like you we cruise multiple lines - it seems a trend to have these onboard aeration systems - Regent even use a system which they seem to think the brand name of which will make a difference to me 😂😉

 

I generally request San Pellegrino for our room (not a fan of Perrier) but if they don’t have it or can’t provide it then I just move on - Iife’s too short to stress about it 

 

I did draw the line on Crystal a couple of years ago in their Italian specialty restaurant when they said they didn’t have Pellegrino but offered ship made water instead - I reminded them where we were and said surely you can find some Italian water for your Italian restaurant - within a few minutes I was enjoying San Pellegrino with my meal 

 

Like you we don’t spend a lot of time in the suite - but I do find I need water at night as somehow I seem a little thirsty after a few wines etc in the bars during the evening - funny that…

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Stickman1990 said:

 

A friend on our sailing got small bottles of San Pelligrino in her room fridge on request - so it is available if you push for ir

 

Our room attendant offered them to me but I decided I'd do my bit to save the planet and used the sparkling water onboard while in our suite and in bars and dining locations - I survived a couple of weeks unscathed

 

And look! – the planet has survived.  We all owe you a great round of applause!  🤣

[Stickman1990]

7 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

And look! – the planet has survived.  We all owe you a great round of applause!  🤣

Yes - such a sacrifice while chugging around the seas on a gas guzzling ship after flying there on a jet guzzling fuel but o feel so much better for it -  I’m still waiting for my certificate from Greta Thunberg 😉😉😉