Black Friday Sale with 30 to 50% off

[saminina]

It's a punch in the gut to see you could have paid less for a cruise.  But why waste energy overthinking it?   It offered fair value at the time of purchase, yes?  The hurt to me is that if sale is successful, passenger load goes up and I do not want to be on this ship with more than 500.  

 

We added two cruises with the sale on probably not so popular itineraries.  

[Hlitner]

31 minutes ago, saminina said:

It's a punch in the gut to see you could have paid less for a cruise.  But why waste energy overthinking it?   It offered fair value at the time of purchase, yes?  The hurt to me is that if sale is successful, passenger load goes up and I do not want to be on this ship with more than 500.  

 

We added two cruises with the sale on probably not so popular itineraries.  

You are living in a "dream" world.  Yes, those of us who have cruised on EJ1 during its first 6 months, had the extra benefit of a ship that was well under capacity.  But Explora (and its MSC owners) were not born yesterday and are already taking steps to fill their ships.  They have done this by temporarily changing itineraries away from North America (where they have failed to properly market).  It is likely that future cruises on both EJ1 and EJ2 will be close to capacity as proven by the latest "sale" which heralds a big change in EJ's attitude.   Their earlier statements that they would rather operate below capacity than compromise with "sales" has already proven to be a myth.  They have obviously determined that they cannot sell enough berths at their normal pricing, so it will be interesting to see if "cost cutting" becomes their next internal "strategy."  

 

What will those ships be like with over 800?  None of us can be sure, but it will certainly mean more difficulty getting reservations for Sakura and Marble, and some waiting times for both Fil Rouge and the Med Yacht Club.  The days when DW and I could simply walk into the Conservatory and grab perfectly located loungers will also come to an end.   We spent a lot of relaxing time in the Conservatory, and the place was generally empty (during our 18 day cruise) because our ship was only at 25% of capacity.  That is going to change.  Nearly half the furniture in the Conservatory is uncomfortable (but it looks good) and remained completely unused during our cruise.  An indoor pool area with fewer than 30 loungers (for 900 cruisers),  Why in the world do they have so much wasted lounging space in the Med Yacht Club when they could have easily put in another dozen dining tables (and mitigated queues when the ship is near capacity)?  We were truly blown away by the amazing interior design of EJ1, but DW expressed it best when she wondered if they had put design over substance.  

 

We need to make a decision (probably today) on whether to book a future European cruise on EJ1 or the Seabourn Encore.  The price is similar, and we are familiar with both vessels and lines.  Weighing the pros/cons the only advantage I can give EJ is the cuisine.  Everything else favors Seabourn.  Just a simple thing like wanting a drink with Rye Whiskey (they had none on EJ1) or having some decent Cognac (included) or perhaps a large selection of included single malts, is enough to point me towards SB.  

 

Hank

[Waltershipman]

14 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

You are living in a "dream" world.  Yes, those of us who have cruised on EJ1 during its first 6 months, had the extra benefit of a ship that was well under capacity.  But Explora (and its MSC owners) were not born yesterday and are already taking steps to fill their ships.  They have done this by temporarily changing itineraries away from North America (where they have failed to properly market).  It is likely that future cruises on both EJ1 and EJ2 will be close to capacity as proven by the latest "sale" which heralds a big change in EJ's attitude.   Their earlier statements that they would rather operate below capacity than compromise with "sales" has already proven to be a myth.  They have obviously determined that they cannot sell enough berths at their normal pricing, so it will be interesting to see if "cost cutting" becomes their next internal "strategy."  

 

What will those ships be like with over 800?  None of us can be sure, but it will certainly mean more difficulty getting reservations for Sakura and Marble, and some waiting times for both Fil Rouge and the Med Yacht Club.  The days when DW and I could simply walk into the Conservatory and grab perfectly located loungers will also come to an end.   We spent a lot of relaxing time in the Conservatory, and the place was generally empty (during our 18 day cruise) because our ship was only at 25% of capacity.  That is going to change.  Nearly half the furniture in the Conservatory is uncomfortable (but it looks good) and remained completely unused during our cruise.  An indoor pool area with fewer than 30 loungers (for 900 cruisers),  Why in the world do they have so much wasted lounging space in the Med Yacht Club when they could have easily put in another dozen dining tables (and mitigated queues when the ship is near capacity)?  We were truly blown away by the amazing interior design of EJ1, but DW expressed it best when she wondered if they had put design over substance.  

 

We need to make a decision (probably today) on whether to book a future European cruise on EJ1 or the Seabourn Encore.  The price is similar, and we are familiar with both vessels and lines.  Weighing the pros/cons the only advantage I can give EJ is the cuisine.  Everything else favors Seabourn.  Just a simple thing like wanting a drink with Rye Whiskey (they had none on EJ1) or having some decent Cognac (included) or perhaps a large selection of included single malts, is enough to point me towards SB.  

 

Hank

We feel very fortunate to have been on early sailings of EJ truly wonderful 

[saminina]

You are correct about living in a dream world with Explora.  That is why now is the right time to sail with them.  It is why we have booked less popular itineraries near term.    For me, the ship is the destination and right now the cuisine value cannot be beat on land or sea.   Low passenger count makes the decision easy for me.  Of course, this cannot last forever.

 

They will do nicely with 630 (70%) passengers.  I'll be out before that happens.

Edited November 26, 2023 by saminina

[shrkdive1]

We took the opportunity to book a Black Friday discounted journey.  We had been sitting on the fence at the higher fares but with a 30% discount we could not pass up.

[kelleherdl]

12 hours ago, shrkdive1 said:

We took the opportunity to book a Black Friday discounted journey.  We had been sitting on the fence at the higher fares but with a 30% discount we could not pass up.

Tough to beat.  Maybe TA’s can score better discounted fares for themselves, but ~ $450 p/p/d for entry level suites is outstanding. I looked at comps on Seabourn for their Black Friday deals, and EJ beats them majorly. Having done two journeys so far, the OT-1’s are fine for us. Even without the ‘butler’ attention of MSC Yacht Club or EJ Residence level we found the ‘hosts’ on EJ to be great. We did book the San Juan to San Juan 14-day in February 2025 on Explora II. EJ only did similar cruises on Explora I out of Barbados. For us Florida cruisers San Juan is an ideal departure port. 

[PaulMCO]

3 hours ago, kelleherdl said:

Tough to beat.  Maybe TA’s can score better discounted fares for themselves, but ~ $450 p/p/d for entry level suites is outstanding. I looked at comps on Seabourn for their Black Friday deals, and EJ beats them majorly. Having done two journeys so far, the OT-1’s are fine for us. Even without the ‘butler’ attention of MSC Yacht Club or EJ Residence level we found the ‘hosts’ on EJ to be great. We did book the San Juan to San Juan 14-day in February 2025 on Explora II. EJ only did similar cruises on Explora I out of Barbados. For us Florida cruisers San Juan is an ideal departure port. 

Tend to agree and even with this sale, I am sure there will be another next year.  Looked at a Jan 2025 sailing on Explora 2 and it remains wide open.  What are selling are the OT's for this winter Explora I Caribbean.

[peder]

4 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

Tend to agree and even with this sale, I am sure there will be another next year.  Looked at a Jan 2025 sailing on Explora 2 and it remains wide open.  What are selling are the OT's for this winter Explora I Caribbean.

 

Are you able to see which cabins are available via the Explora website? When I do a mock booking I can't select my cabin.

[peder]

On 11/23/2023 at 5:15 PM, Hlitner said:

We are still scratching our head at the lack of marketing for this product.  Consider that we are now past passengers and seldom hear anything from EJ about promotions, or upcoming itineraries.

 

I get bombarded by their ads on social media and YouTube

[PaulMCO]

11 minutes ago, peder said:

 

Are you able to see which cabins are available via the Explora website? When I do a mock booking I can't select my cabin.

I use one of the many Internet TA's that allow booking on line.

[peder]

Ah, sure. Each one I've ever used always says I need to "Request a Consultation" to continue, and that's usually when I stop searching. It's weird because Explora is trying to appeal, I assume, to younger audiences, but I'm not just going to jump into purchasing a cruise without getting exactly the cabin I want, without needing to chat with a TA or jumping through hoops finding the one website that lets me search inventory.

 

They need to make things super simple.

[Stickman1990]

1 hour ago, peder said:

 

Are you able to see which cabins are available via the Explora website? When I do a mock booking I can't select my cabin.

Do yourself a favour and use a Travel Agent to work with you on the booking - you have nothing to lose and everything to gain in using a professional to assist you 

[Stickman1990]

6 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

Tend to agree and even with this sale, I am sure there will be another next year.  Looked at a Jan 2025 sailing on Explora 2 and it remains wide open.  What are selling are the OT's for this winter Explora I Caribbean.

A bird in the hand….

 

Ive booked now for April,2025 - low deposit and locked in - what’s not to like?

[peder]

8 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

Do yourself a favour and use a Travel Agent to work with you on the booking - you have nothing to lose and everything to gain in using a professional to assist you 

 

I am, but I hate using TAs. Give me direct control over my booking any day of the week without needing to go through a middleman.

[Waltershipman]

8 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

Do yourself a favour and use a Travel Agent to work with you on the booking - you have nothing to lose and everything to gain in using a professional to assist you 

ABSOLUTELY 

[Stickman1990]

4 minutes ago, peder said:

 

I am, but I hate using TAs. Give me direct control over my booking any day of the week without needing to go through a middleman.

Glad to hear you are using a TA - now to the question of are they the right ones - a good one will save you $$$ and put money in your pocket but equally importantly they will have your back and be independent when advocating for you with the cruise line and other operators like air or land excursions 

[PaulMCO]

26 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

A bird in the hand….

 

Ive booked now for April,2025 - low deposit and locked in - what’s not to like?

🙂 Could not let a 40% discount go unused 🙂

My TA had trouble getting in touch with Explora today -- lines are busy

Booked a short 10 day for the Caribbean that includes an overnight in New Orleans..

[Whipsnade]

We booked three cruises in Sept 24 when we were on board in September in top category. Now inquiring if we can get this discount applied. Seems grossly unfair to loyal rebookers to exclude us from savings. But then this is MSC. 

And whatever happened to the promised loyalty program?’

[CruiseCrew123]

It just means people won’t book on board in future and hold out for these type of sales 

[Waltershipman]

8 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

We booked three cruises in Sept 24 when we were on board in September in top category. Now inquiring if we can get this discount applied. Seems grossly unfair to loyal rebookers to exclude us from savings. But then this is MSC. 

And whatever happened to the promised loyalty program?’

Interesting dilemma indeed. When EJ announced their match program of 50 euros for members of other loyalty programs in May,I think,  I then applied for the match bonus  and even though it was a small amount of money i was told an emphatic NO since I had previously booked the journey in April.  I loved the cruise a lot yet from a pr perspective extending the match bonus looks like the best thing for customer relations.

 

[Waltershipman]

6 minutes ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

It just means people won’t book on board in future and hold out for these type of sales 

Likely as it is a great sale for a great priduct

[Whipsnade]

We, too, loved

 

 

the product even with some snafus. Ready to book a third round once they announce itineraries post Spring 25.  But a loyalty program that discriminates against loyalty makes us think again. Especially since they continue to run half full with mostly TAs. I thought these guys were supposed to be pros!!!

[KJB416]

I’m looking at booking on the Explora II in late Oct 2024 due to the 20% discount, but I’m fearing delays like we had with Explora I. Anyone else concerned about this?  I think mid August 2024 is the inaugural sailing.  

[Stickman1990]

59 minutes ago, KJB416 said:

I’m looking at booking on the Explora II in late Oct 2024 due to the 20% discount, but I’m fearing delays like we had with Explora I. Anyone else concerned about this?  I think mid August 2024 is the inaugural sailing.  

Any inaugural or early sailing for any new ship is always a risk as delays can occur - of course you can book it but just be cognisant of those rules and delays 

 

A couple of months later should be fine 

[Stickman1990]

A word of warning

 

We’ve booked a group (6+ suites) on one of the on sale sailings - 5 couples new to Explora Journeys and us (they trust us and our opinion it seems) - one thing we’ve learnt is that any “group benefits” don’t apply to any of the sale voyages - that’s a trap for those using the offer to book groups 

 

Normally a group that size would qualify for 1 free fare and euros 500 per cabin obc - so quite sizeable but it seems they’ve discounted quite deep already and won’t provide anything further to the group 

 

The terms and conditions of the offer do cover this exclusion but it’s one we hadn’t noticed until requesting group booking discounts

 

So watch out as the exclusions lists several other discounts that are excluded from the offer  

 

Terms and conditions are https://explorajourneys.com/au/en/info/terms-conditions/the-exclusive-sale