Nunagoras

Actually; variety is the salt of life. Congrats!

Wonderful to know, EJ is setting themselves on the true luxury market. Many thanks to the kind words and the wonderful photos. Permit me a few notes: a) It was the poor way they managed both the ship delivery delays and the ships redeployment scheme that have mostly driven some people crazy here. 3rd rate influencers aboard first sailings didn't help either. Day after day, I'm starting to push EJ out of my crazy companies list. They'll be reputable at the market. b) In order to provide more exotic itineraries with this caliber ships, they'll need the more ecological friendly versions that will come from E3 onward. I'm quite sure E3 will be redeployed for itineraries like yours actual one on a more consistent basis. "Classical" oil ships are being given several restrictions on said itineraries by the day. There will be a day when only LNG/Liquid Hydrogen ships will be accepted at those very sensitive areas. That said; E1-E2 will likely to be devoted to classical 7 night cruises on less ecologically sensitive areas forever from now while E3-E6 will be redeployed for longer, more exotic cruises.

No. It might to be one more of those MSC cruise group's sad IT nightmares. I can see some 29 EJ Med sailings on both E1 and E2 till mid April'25. Of course that is too short for traditional luxe market ageing crowd regular travel planning, but bear in mind that if their new target is set to be still in service international younger professionals, then those individual's holiday booking season here in EU is set to be between February and April of each particular year, so plenty of time for them to adjust. Either way; my best bet is that they wont to adjust anymore.

I'd to be very interested on reading your comments. Of course no included shore ex with EJ like on Viking, but some included booze against only basic wines and beer with Viking. Bear also in mind that Viking only sells to the English speaking markets, while EJ is global, but that would to be the most assertive apples-to-apples comparison, once ships do come from similar prototype at same shipyard for same pax number and arguably same industry standard. I was always skeptical on the "full luxury" market, once 900+ guests plus eventual kids aboard is a little bit too much for what that standards allow. Have a wonderful sailing despite the bugs!...

Ok, congrats to the review. They'll need to settle back the offering according to segment expectancy. Let them to have some time on the learning curve. Wonderful to have those reviews though!...

TBHH - To Be Humble and Honest!... Ok, but congrats to the good moment because good humour is always great!... Have a nice day!...

TBHH: At current package terms and conditions, I believe Aurea is a steal, a robbery or however you can call it a scandalously expensive outfit for what it is, unless you really want one of those larger suites, which are incredibly expensive by the way. Boarding priority? Nice, but dependent on port's authorities to be worthwhile. Your time dining might not be as dreamy as it could be, so for one whom just wants early dining not a thing at all. I for me would to stick with Fantastica though. It's your classical cruise ticket. Yes, there is an extra pool bar, but that's it...

Maybe I've seen the wrong way, or I can only capture 1 August onward sailings on the website. Either way, forgive my fault or it's their IT department again...

Actually baseline prices start at EUR 715 per day for a week in one of their ships on the cheapest cabin. Prices are consistent around regions or dates, at least from here where I live. Extremely expensive, especially once one considers a brand new trademark with no established client base... Time will tell. I believe for most of those influencers it was a "first and done", but I also would admit that "Moêt" free flaw round the ship suffixed enough for them to the "amazing" reviews! That is how life would work. Most of those were the usual "3rd line" ones MSC used to invite on their mainstream ships. This was an unusual one for them, they'll never to forget in their lives!... On a positive note, EJ is now postponing their E2 entering on commercial service just for August 2024, when I believe they have more than time to have the ship entirely built by early June or so. They'll then to make the press season with no paying pax or they'll to sell the sampler cruises nearing sailing at a hard discount. That would to be great on them.

That it. I have only 8 Ocean cruises under my belt and 1 port entirely cancelled and another changed on 2 of those cruises. Safety first.

Yeah! That is the confusing part. I'm not an English native speaking, so I didn't assume that possible nuance... But yes, the quote has such a possible double meaning for sure... I'm with you!...

So... On "that" other big social media outlet, Michael Ungerer, EJ's CEO, is cited saying that EJ fleet will have 4 ships!... Not 5 or 6 like has been thought elsewhere. So, have they denied to firm some 2 orders?... This thing is not going like planned by any means... They'll only commit for firm orders, not additional optional ones. If true, this is the first time I notice such a thing like this in the industry since I started my cruising's "career" back some 20 years ago. Someone more knowledgeable will likely to shine in with other incidents of this sort, if any they may know. On the positive side, E3-E4 will be LNG powered permitting them some more destinations than what they have now. Nordic seas are on my mind, exactly. That would to be great on a time when cruising said region is becoming mostly a top of the tops full luxury sort of thing. Time will tell.

Yeah! Crystal is quite surprisingly attracting their former workers back. I follow a Brazilian influencer with thousands of viewers and a pretty good sponsor base whom has been out of working on ships since he exited the Crystal Symphony due to the pandemic, and he said he couldn't resist the call to work alongside his wife on the return of the Crystal Symphony to the high seas. I believe he has signed a 6 months contract, quite short considering the usual in the industry. Maybe both him and the company were just interested on current cruising region and season? Whatever else, on their last video it was evident their pride to just return what they called home, and their emotion while entering the ship again!... As far as I can understand he could very well to continue his ongoing IT/Influencer nomad life quite indefinitely, but they decided otherwise to return the ship, even if by temporarily losing their current supporters elsewhere! Quite impressive!... Capturing good crews at this ship size industry level would be top priority. No matter from one comes. What matters is that the good ones do stick with the company. Let's see what Crystal will be able to do now. I have listened elsewhere they'll to build some new ships... But new ships require time. For now they have out of standard old ones. That will impact them as time pass. I hope they don't to become just another crazy one.

And pretty much all the industry is short-staffed right now. Any really good one returned would be a huge win.

Well: Let us to have a deep look on this all: Of course EJ is not ready for the prime time. Crazy would be my best description of them right now. At a so limited market, the ongoing itinerary change almost made them KO for the next 3 years in the full luxury markets where pretty much everyone knows each other, apart than with Russians, local middle east elites, and Chinese alike. E1 didn't end up in China, perhaps because they don't have a local partner yet... But I'm still confident that they have a chance even on west luxe market, but only from 2026 onward: Crystal is running on very older ships. Azamara has also some very old ships in their fleet. EJ has wonderful brand new hardware. Come the usual 2026-27 booking season for mid-to-full luxury deployment some AZ-Cr clients might to jump ships. And more important: By late next year EJ should to be more well known within the 35-55 client base they so wish to carry. Time will tell... But they have lots of work in front of them, surely. As for the current itineraries: Pretty mainstream, but they're more a remedy than everything else. They may to use E3-E6 for the longer itineraries while retaining E1-E2 with its first user bugs as they are for the short-haul new luxury venture. Time will tell.

They operate almost all on the same way. An hour wait, pick or go. Pro tip? When you book, owe yourself a good half an hour from your landing time to service start. If all would be great with luggage, help yourself with a coffee in one of airport coffee stands, if not, you won't wait too much.

He, he! Good humour, congrats!... More seriously, perhaps Cunard, once Crystal is set to see if it is a definite go along or fail. Crystal might have have a great reputation and great services... But if they don't receive new ships in due time, they'll to easily become another crazy one in a not so long run...

Only top suites named Residences on E have butler service.

While bearing in mind that port's operations differ from port to port and your problem may eventually to have been due to a port's authorities fault rather then MSC/Explora, this is not luxury at all. When we have a true luxury ship here in Lisbon it is usual for us to see several port personnel dealing with luggage and directing people at the usual luxury dock. They even have a police checkpoint so that only taxis, and private transfers specific for those ships would enter that area. I lived minutes from the port till the pandemic. I watched this quite daily!... Again: This crazy venture has effectively a long way to run... But incidentally not all things may be their fault...

Don't forget other languages than English. I have Portuguese and I also understand Spanish and some Italian, and to an extent I capture German. From a comprehensive Portuguese cruise blogger with quite a crowd around him: He was invited, but he paid port taxes. Onboard he would pay for shore excursions and whatever add on to be had. He was on a basic entry level cabin. He enjoyed the cruise to an extent. Too critical of the shore excursions prices. He says he would be onboard only if the product becomes half inclusive at a relatively lower price set. Several Italian/Spanish/German on same quarters, mostly paying costumers. mostly raving the product with minor complaints, shore ex quotes being the main one. Sadly E will suffer from very same cultural barriers we have on mainstream MSC. That won't help either. They'll be somewhat popular if they adapt a Viking model, of course family oriented sort of cruising. My best bet is that they'll run the "test drive" season for E2 onward in a different setting than E1. E2 is set to be finished by spring 2024, as far as I know, but they only commit for commercial sailings on mid August onward as far as the ongoing officious PDF says. They make it differently.

Welcome aboard our as crazy as Explora CC Boards!... How I understand you and your story. True luxury clients want true luxury. Nothing more to discuss here. It is curious that, across the board on the other social media it is certain to admit that: 1. Nobody feels indifferent to Explora. 2. The shorter, older, more mature, better traveled crowd, usual luxe lines clients hates them. 3. The larger, younger, very affluent, 35-55 yo crowd generally raves all about them and while finding it extremely expensive, they're likely to consider a new cruise with them in occasion. Explora will need to rethink this one. If younger, very affluent clients were to be their market target from the beginning, better for them to have gone Virgin/X/Princess segment sized ships rather than this... But now this is the hardware they already have! They have more than likely done such a bad market analysis on what should and shouldn't work. Bad market analysis leads to bad decision making. It is quite automatic. Sure; there is a growing number of 35-55 yo affluent to very affluent individuals on the west; but are they really that prepared for SS/SB/RSS/HL level yet? Do they have access to what EJ is really about?... Is EJ prepared for a serious relaunch at top level?... To many questions. I hope though to have an opportunity before those ships will be likely turned just MSC Lirica+ class one day... But; of course I understand the craziness here demonstrated. Have a wonderful weekend, and at least may you save your best memories out of this one, while understanding the bad ones. The unique ones of us without a bad experience out there are the ones whom never try any new experience!

Again: A little of the E entertainment onboard. Not bad, not great either. Soft. Goes with the flow... It will to be very interesting to follow this line's history. Far more than with VV!... Let's go on...