Live from EJ1 - Miami to Barbados 8/3 (or 3/8 if you insist) >

[CJANDH]

3 hours ago, Noggins said:

(I don't know what you think you're doing dropping your own 'u's' like that - how long have you been over there??)

Out of UK since 1971. In USA since 1985. American spellcheck 🥸

[cruisingxpert]

I thoroughly enjoyed your report with such wonderful humour.  What a beautiful cat- it's so hard to say goodbye to our pets.

[travelberlin]

Adrian, I am sorry to hear you lost your cat. The poor Tonto is resting now. Why did you call him Tonto? Tonto means in Spanish dumb/stupid…

 

Thanks very much for taking us along during your cruise. Well done Adrian 👍

 

Ivi

[Host Jazzbeau]

12 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

Adrian, I am sorry to hear you lost your cat. The poor Tonto is resting now. Why did you call him Tonto? Tonto means in Spanish dumb/stupid…

 

Thanks very much for taking us along during your cruise. Well done Adrian 👍

 

Ivi

Tonto in Lone Ranger means "faithful companion."

[java spot]

What a goreous cat.  And what a sad return home. Very sorry for your loss. 

You summed up the Explora "attitude" so well in your final post and articulated something which I sensed but didn't have words to express.  I personally liked Explora. I liked its avowed attempt to break away from the cruise ship mold.  Regardless, it's always good to have eyes wide open and make peace with the deficits and assets of a cruise line and adjust as needed.  Thanks for sharing the journey. 

[kool kruiser]

Thanks Adrian for, as ever, brightening up my days with your terrific missives. Everything you say was very much in accordance with our November trip, although the entertainment and enrichment seems to have improved a tad.Hope we meet again real soon. Love to E.

Colin

[Noggins]

21 hours ago, kool kruiser said:

Thanks Adrian for, as ever, brightening up my days with your terrific missives. Everything you say was very much in accordance with our November trip, although the entertainment and enrichment seems to have improved a tad.Hope we meet again real soon. Love to E.

Colin

That's very kind, Colin but, some would say, it is much more important to know what the lovely Steph would have to say about this thread. (But sadly I know what that might be - it would start along the lines of 'why on earth.....') 

I had read your own Explora review, of course and others besides and it is true that both enrichment and entertainment did exceed my (low) expectations. For enrichment I expected nothing (we had 2 sea days) and got one 'proper' speaker (who, unfortunately I wasn't overly impressed with) and one 'destination' speaker who was pretty dreadful. For entertainment the band were amongst the best, the lounge singers excelent (but not with the support / staging to make it comparable to a traditional ship's theatre show) and the two piano / singers very good but with the usual / unsual problem of either having no audience (Explora Lounge) or were disconnected from the audience by virtue of being on a landing one storey above everyone (Lobby Bar).

It looks like our respective plans for the next 12 months or so are laid but who knows when something might pop up as an extra unexpected opportunity!

Best to you both.

Adrian

[kool kruiser]

1 hour ago, Noggins said:

That's very kind, Colin but, some would say, it is much more important to know what the lovely Steph would have to say about this thread. (But sadly I know what that might be - it would start along the lines of 'why on earth.....') 

I had read your own Explora review, of course and others besides and it is true that both enrichment and entertainment did exceed my (low) expectations. For enrichment I expected nothing (we had 2 sea days) and got one 'proper' speaker (who, unfortunately I wasn't overly impressed with) and one 'destination' speaker who was pretty dreadful. For entertainment the band were amongst the best, the lounge singers excelent (but not with the support / staging to make it comparable to a traditional ship's theatre show) and the two piano / singers very good but with the usual / unsual problem of either having no audience (Explora Lounge) or were disconnected from the audience by virtue of being on a landing one storey above everyone (Lobby Bar).

It looks like our respective plans for the next 12 months or so are laid but who knows when something might pop up as an extra unexpected opportunity!

Best to you both.

Adrian

Indeed ! we also found the Lobby bar a hopeless venue and gave up on it very early on. Looks great but doesn't work. For us, we will follow this board as the line evolves and they realise that they must provide what their customers want and not the other way round !!

 

Take care

 

Colin

Edited March 25 by kool kruiser
typo

[maggie.1008]

We have moved to a Penthouse suite for our Hawaii cruise. Does the Penthouse come with any complimentary laundry? Also can you order cocktails and wine from room service? 
Many thanks 😊 

[Dr. Cocktail]

7 minutes ago, maggie.1008 said:

We have moved to a Penthouse suite for our Hawaii cruise. Does the Penthouse come with any complimentary laundry? Also can you order cocktails and wine from room service? 
Many thanks 😊 

Yes!  While many references have been removed, I've attached this link that shows that you get a complimentary bag of laundry.

 

https://explorajourneys.com/ca/en/life-on-explora/onboard-services

 

When we had our room service lunch, I asked for two glasses of wine. The operator was "wouldn't you much rather have the entire bottle?".

 

Bottle arrived n/c but I didn't ask about cocktails!

[maggie.1008]

Thank you 

[crickette]

TIP:  roll each item of clothing - you get more in a bag!

TIP #2:  talk to your room attendant about "when" to put the bag out, and when to expect it back.  We found it a bit confusing.  Someone else may chip in, but it seemed to us laundry is sent out 48 hours before then end of a cruise leg (ie 48 hours before disembarcation), and it comes back the final afternoon (ready to be packed).  We were on for several weeks, and this is how we worked each week.

[mike@sea]

The bag of free laundry service is only applicable until 48 hours before debarkation. As usual, the content will arrive the next day, provided it was left with the suite host in the morning. 
 

[crickette]

Mike

We had to carefully check with the room attendants about timing for the last bag of laundry because it took longer to be returned. Apparently it was the amount of laundry that was overwhelming the laundry workers. We sent several bags over the cruise, some came back in the time you suggested and others took longer.

 

Edited April 9 by crickette
Mistake on the number

[Noggins]

22 hours ago, maggie.1008 said:

We have moved to a Penthouse suite for our Hawaii cruise. Does the Penthouse come with any complimentary laundry? Also can you order cocktails and wine from room service? 
Many thanks 😊 

Well done, Maggie - sounds like a great move. You'll not want to leave that lovely spacious room. Perhaps you'd consider using some of your time there writing up a nice day by day account of your trip - for us all to enjoy here?!

Adrian

[maggie.1008]

This will be my 70th birthday cruise. How did that happen?

My waist might get larger and my liver will be hanging by a tread but I will have a smashing time.

So sorry to say that I am not as clever as you with my writing skills and technical ability.

Happy to answer any questions along the way.

We will fly from San Francisco to Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines brand new Dreamliner aircraft. Treating ourselves to first class.✈️

We have friends in Hawaii meeting us for two nights before we board the ship on thr 27th.

 I have high expectations for this cruise and have been following along since the early stages.

I have four friends who are disappointed in the new Regent Grandeur 

They are getting off the ship today in NYC.

I enjoyed your review and all the best to you and yours.

cheers, Heather 

[Noggins]

3 hours ago, maggie.1008 said:

This will be my 70th birthday cruise. How did that happen?

My waist might get larger and my liver will be hanging by a tread but I will have a smashing time.

So sorry to say that I am not as clever as you with my writing skills and technical ability.

Happy to answer any questions along the way.

We will fly from San Francisco to Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines brand new Dreamliner aircraft. Treating ourselves to first class.✈️

We have friends in Hawaii meeting us for two nights before we board the ship on thr 27th.

 I have high expectations for this cruise and have been following along since the early stages.

I have four friends who are disappointed in the new Regent Grandeur 

They are getting off the ship today in NYC.

I enjoyed your review and all the best to you and yours.

cheers, Heather 

Oh my goodness - I've been calling you by the wrong name all this time! Many apologies - but I think you may see how it came about....?🤔😎

As one who also has a 70th this year I think you have found a fine way to celebrate - but remember to stay focused on feeling (and behaving 👀?) many decades younger.... 

Have a blast.

Adrian

[Dr. Cocktail]

8 hours ago, maggie.1008 said:

This will be my 70th birthday cruise. How did that happen?

My waist might get larger and my liver will be hanging by a tread but I will have a smashing time.

So sorry to say that I am not as clever as you with my writing skills and technical ability.

Happy to answer any questions along the way.

We will fly from San Francisco to Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines brand new Dreamliner aircraft. Treating ourselves to first class.✈️

We have friends in Hawaii meeting us for two nights before we board the ship on thr 27th.

 I have high expectations for this cruise and have been following along since the early stages.

I have four friends who are disappointed in the new Regent Grandeur 

They are getting off the ship today in NYC.

I enjoyed your review and all the best to you and yours.

cheers, Heather 

We all know that I am a "cheerleader" on these boards but I still think that it's better than being a font of negativity like what we've  also seen!

 

Our RegentCertified (sm) friends who joined us thought that the food on Explora was miles above R.

 

I was 60 on our last sailing a few weeks ago and Explora defines what I think that luxury cruising should be. No excessive bling, no need for me to be babysat, fantastic fellow passengers, no need for bragging about "badge appeal" and one upmanship and just plain swell.

 

A quiet, elegant product on a ship whose outdoor decks and bars are unmatched by anyone else in the industry.

 

Oh ... and btw...

 

Happy Birthday!

[Waltershipman]

2 minutes ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

We all know that I am a "cheerleader" on these boards but I still think that it's better than being a font of negativity like what we've  also seen!

 

Our RegentCertified (sm) friends who joined us thought that the food on Explora was miles above R.

 

I was 60 on our last sailing a few weeks ago and Explora defines what I think that luxury cruising should be. No excessive bling, no need for me to be babysat, fantastic fellow passengers, no need for bragging about "badge appeal" and one upmanship and just plain swell.

 

A quiet, elegant product on a ship whose outdoor decks and bars are unmatched by anyone else in the industry.

 

Oh ... and btw...

 

Happy Birthday!

Thank you  Dr. I followed your posts when you were on board.

We were on board in October then on Oceania Vista in February. Looking forward to booking our next cruise again but waiting for the right fit that attracts us. We loved E J and without doubt best food on sea. 

We tried to book a sailing for january 5 on EJ  but missed the discount and have not booked it since they would not honor the lower discount because i was one day late

 

Still searching for the right next cruise

 

Enjoy

 

All the best 

 

[tfred]

On 3/19/2024 at 12:31 PM, Noggins said:

We are home in warm and sunny Scotland!

 

The Virgin flight was on an A330 with a business class product we were unfamiliar with - it is an old product they must keep on the leisure routes. The thrusting young business types would never accept such a poor product when there as so many better options!. Never have I sat in a business cabin and felt like I was in an old people's home - everyone in a line facing the trolley moving along the line dishing out food! Fortunately when the seats converted into beds and you shut your eyes the experience improved. I actually got a decent rest and (deliberately) dozed through breakfast. We landed a little early and BA kindly swapped us on to an earlier flight giving us just time for breakfast in the BA lounge before the short hop up to Aberdeen. An hour after landing we were home.

 

Adrian 

the VS UC hard product on board is very dated - innovative 25 years ago but way past its prime . Great Clubhouse in LHR, flight crew is great, food pretty good.

 

I think they are slowly changing to a 1-2-1 set up.  The new seating is in random routes (BOS_LHR) but not in MIA-LHR (where we live). 

[Host Jazzbeau]

48 minutes ago, tfred said:

the VS UC hard product on board is very dated - innovative 25 years ago but way past its prime . Great Clubhouse in LHR, flight crew is great, food pretty good.

 

I think they are slowly changing to a 1-2-1 set up.  The new seating is in random routes (BOS_LHR) but not in MIA-LHR (where we live). 

Going from 1-1-1 to 1-2-1 is hardly a luxury improvement!

[tfred]

33 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Going from 1-1-1 to 1-2-1 is hardly a luxury improvement!

out of MIA, there are no good direct choices to LHR. Weird BA Club seat arrangements, DL 1-2-1 through ATL or JFK.  You would think that MIA would be better served

 

VS is dated but at least they are friendly   I think they are still using past good tidings of flights past. Sooner or later that goes away. 

[Noggins]

1 hour ago, tfred said:

out of MIA, there are no good direct choices to LHR. Weird BA Club seat arrangements, DL 1-2-1 through ATL or JFK.  You would think that MIA would be better served

 

VS is dated but at least they are friendly   I think they are still using past good tidings of flights past. Sooner or later that goes away. 

We flew VS LHR - MIA on a 350 with the latest seat configuration (and bar) that was a totally different experience to the return VS journey from Barbados with the old 787 seat. The new seat even has a door. Well, they call it a door. 'Flap' describes it better. But in any event better than the old BA seat which is still on some of the MIA flights - notably the 380. Although even then the forward cabin on the 380 upper deck is a good option as long as you are travelling with your partner and book a pair of seats with a window.

Two decent options, with the LHR Clubhouse possibly swinging the final vote for VS.

[Noggins]

Now listen, this is getting ridiculous - how can there possibly be over 16k views of this thread? If I had realised at the outset that there would be more than, say 250, I would have taken a bit more care over it. (and if I had known it would reach such numbers I might have written to Mr Explora Journeys and tried to do an 'if we reach 15k views can I have a free cruise - or maybe a tote bag?' deal with him.)

 

A few weeks of further reflection have confirmed that an EJ cruise is definitely for repeating. I have cast around a little for a future cruise and find it all very confusing. There are some astonishingly keen prices for a week in the Caribbean but there are also some extremely high prices in other parts of the world. To add to the confusion TA's seem to have prices all of their own and there's a rumour that at least one TA offers a significant refund on the fare once you arrive home. How odd.

 

 

 

[Elizabethbea]

 It's not odd really. TAs get around 20% comission  on Explora sales.  Some very decent TAs ( I have one who is wonderful) in effect cut their commission and knock it off the price of your cruise. They get paid their commission  very close to sailing often, so you get the refund when you get back. ( I use mine towards the next cruise ) Some TAs will tell you there are no discounts. Just don't go with those. If you stick with a good TA she/he will look after you and always get you brilliant deals. I am NOT a TA! Just been cruising for 15 years and have an excellent one.