Critically Cruising

2 hours ago, vistaman said:

very true  -  a lot of misleds  and false marketing

no single reply by Explora so far  and i did mention on my comments  "yes" on the question do you want to be contacted ??? 

Same here.  Radio silence.

I guess I'm not enough of an influencer.

7 hours ago, Stickman1990 said:

Were you “misled” in writing by Explora? - or perhaps an over enthusiastic TA?

NINE CULINARY EXPERIENCES
Sophisticated, varied dining across nine culinary
experiences, as well as in-suite dining

EFFORTLESS ALL-DAY
DINING RESTAURANT

POOLSIDE DINING
Al fresco fare with light, modern
cuisine and an ocean backdrop

24-hour concierge services

Just a few of the things in the brochure.  Probably much more if I took the time to do a deep dive.

29 minutes ago, kelleherdl said:

Anyone who read the description of benefits by suite level would know that butlers were only in the Residence level. It was all over EJ’s literature. 

I was referring to the other "changes" between what the brochures promised and what actually was delivered.  It was the multiple misleds that happened to me -- not specifically butlers.

5 minutes ago, kidless said:

Yes, we know now. We were misled at the time of booking. 

You are not the only one.

Fool me once, shame on you.....

On 10/11/2023 at 6:00 AM, bitob said:

Already bought new luggage!!!  LOL

Hopefully you bought either a Rimowa or Pelican.  The waterproof ones with the gasketed seals.

6 hours ago, Hlitner said:

One of our favorite bar tenders (at the Lobby Bar) suggested I try a "Paper Plane."  Never heard of that drink and he explained that when he started working on EJ1, he noticed they had a liquor called Amoro.  Since he had never worked with that product he did some research and found the "Paper Place" cocktail.  It was OK, but probably would have been better appreciated by folks that like to drink an Aperol Spritz.  But I really enjoyed his friendly banter and insistence I try this drink :).  

Surprised you never noticed a Paper Plane before.  It has been a staple on the cocktail menus on Old Crystal for at least a half-dozen years.

I'll leave the discussion of the bartenders for another day.  My experience was that they knew the EJ cocktails well, but that knowledge of other traditional cocktails was inconsistent at best.  An example was a Rusty Nail.  Found that the bartender proportions ranged from 4 parts scotch to 1 Drambuie down to 1 to 1.  What the....

In a proper operation, the cocktail should be the same in every venue - training should ensure that.  Maybe it's the one spot where EJ rigidity wasn't. 

16 hours ago, Hlitner said:

This goes to an issue that the designers seemed to sometimes put style over substance.  The showers should have a long grab bar along the long shower wall, but the designers likely wanted to preserve the beautiful design without an ugly hand bar.

Maybe they figured that their target market - younger millenials who aren't into cruising - don't need grab bars.

1 hour ago, florisdekort said:

Heike Berdos is coming back soon. If she’s as good as she was on Azamara, and if Geneva hasn’t tied her hands, that should make a real difference. 
 

And therein lies the question.

If current onboard management is shackled by Geneva, why should that be any different just because there is a different person in ONE onboard position? 

Is HQ saying "we trust Heike, but you guys need to be on a short leash"? If so, that's a huge indictment of their current hiring and staffing.

Or is the short leash a defining feature of the corporation?

At a certain point, all the flash of a new ship, even added to the quality of the food - they can't overcome basic failings for a luxury product.

If that makes me a complainer, perhaps it's to balance out the rah-rah, there's nothing wrong that won't be fixed, starry-eyed polyannas.

7 hours ago, Whipsnade said:

You are way too grumpy. Get a cane and some nice person will give you a seat!!! LOL

Interesting that there is no refuting the facts of the situation, just a snide snark about an observation.

The ship is stunning (though with some contradictions) and the food is superb.  But the misses are lots of details that collectively say this is not ready for prime time.  And a management that seems deaf to anything that isn't fawning praise.

7 hours ago, Whipsnade said:

Explora was smart (for once) to use La Crema as departure lounge. Very comfy. 

And small.  Far more seats in the Explora Lounge down the hall, but let's use the room where folks will end up standing.

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?

11 minutes ago, uktog said:

Just thinking is the naming on Friday 13th?
 

hmmmm,

Appropriate.

44 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

However, Guest non-Relations refuses to confirm anything and is more concerned that I have this knowledge (which is still supposed to be a secret).

Goes along with them not telling us what NYC terminal we were using.  Or what the transfer options and costs were.  Or so many other things that made it almost a game of Twenty Questions.

The good news....if these folks were captured during WW2, none of them would reveal that the invasion was to be at Normandy.

20 minutes ago, jsea said:

One oddity: emergency pathway lighting has been on the entire voyage. Perhaps my memory is failing me, but I don’t recall this being active at all times on other ships.

Same on my cruise.  When I asked at the "front desk", the answer was that they didn't know.  (Which could be put onto a recording, and they just need to push a button to play it back).

54 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

And lastly a word about the bagels.  They look good, but are simply soft bread in the shape of a bagel.  They would not pass muster in either NYC or Montreal where a bagel must have a

firm chewy texture.  I have spent nearly 50 years looking for my first good bagel on a cruise ship, and that quest must now continue.

And when you ask for a toasted bagel, they slice it using a horizontal slice.  Which means the "host" with the knife is pressing down to hold the bagel steady, which leaves the "bagel" scrunched down and falling apart.

As for the lobster rolls -- best lobster onboard are the fresh tails grilled to order in the Marketplace at dinner (and sometimes lunch). 

6 hours ago, ljsanantonio said:

I like the “gelato” bar as it has great accompaniments to the ice cream and sorbet they offer. Was disappointed there is no gelato. Seriously—no Italian gelato?😂

A "gelato bar" without gelato.  Just another marketing vs reality data point.

A lot of them, eh?

Just now, crickette said:

If anyone has a photo of the Crema snack items/cabinet, we would be pleased to see it.  I don't think it has been posted previously.  I realize it changes throughout the day, so maybe more than one photo would capture the variety.

It was mostly the same stuff, day in day out.  Small sandwiches with little filling and mostly bread.  Never saw more than three choices and mostly two.  And some sweets.

To call it a "dining venue" (as the brochure does) is a gross overstatement.

4 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

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.

I can see what happened.  The people who killed the idea of a pool grill thought the Marketplace was actually going to be open all day.  And the people for shortened the hours for the Marketplace thought there was going to be a pool grill.

Left hand vs right hand??

😃

2 hours ago, aururab said:

Question - is the retractable roof over the main pool fixed?

Fixed meaning "stationary" or fixed meaning "repaired"?

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

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

It's not an easy fix.  The complaint about lack of dressings (and two of the three being vinegar based) was voiced to the HD.  Yet nothing was done the remainder of the cruise, nor apparently even now.

How difficult is it to pull out another crock for the dressing and another laddle?  And just put out four instead of three?  Apparently it was above the pay grade of the HD to make that change - I guess it had to be approved from HQ in Europe.

All of which tells me -- the systems are baked in and there's no flexibility given, even to upper shipboard management.

20 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

That venue is set up like a nightclub with the usual very low seating and low cocktail tables.  

Try the couches around the perimeter.  Much better seating.

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I will toss out a reminder (from our pre-cruise analysis of the bar list) that we are not very happy with the included single malts, cognacs, and bourbons that are offered on EJ.  It is a sad list for what is supposed to be a luxury line.  In fact, it is not even close to what is offered in the MSC Yacht Club!  An easy thing for EJ to fix, and it should be fixed!  And there are some strange lapses in what is available.  One person told us today that they could not get a favorite drink because they have no Cassis at the bars.  This is not a money issue, but just poor planning.  When it comes to booze on a luxury line, stock a little of everything so you never have to say NO! 

Got the old "supply chain issues" response to my complaint about lack of liquors.  Never had Old Vic gin on board, ran out of Nikka on day 3, and other liquors were missing or not fully stocked to all the venues.

On a positive note, they did have Diplomatico rum, which is quite sippable like a cognac.  Plus the interesting Bayab gin from South Africa, using bayobab fruit in the distillation.  And for pure "different" try the Shiraz gin, which steeps the gin in shiraz grapes.  For a final nightcap, go with the Ardbeg for a full peat mouthfull.

20 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

Agree they’re huge and fast lifts - the only strange thing we found was the placement of the couch seats in the middle of the waiting area for the lifts that delayed getting to lifts arriving on the other side - you have to walk around them - this may introduce a delay for someone with a disability

Those couches could have been separated, so you could walk between them to the other side.  But that doesn't pass the "illogical but esthetic" standard of EJ.

4 minutes ago, Stickman1990 said:

The cooking classes they run certainly do and you get to eat the dish you prepare - but I didn’t think of that as a restaurant

 

I never saw any promotion or advertising of Chefs Kitchen for dining

Was promoted on pages 52-57 of the Explora brochure as a dining venue.  Which showed:

EFFORTLESS ALL-DAY
DINING RESTAURANT
—
SOPHISTICATED CONCEPT RESTAURANT
SHOWCASING UP-AND-COMING CHEFS
FROM AROUND THE GLOBE
—
PAN ASIAN RESTAURANT
—
STEAKHOUSE EXPERIENCE
—
MEDITERRANEAN STYLE RESTAURANT
—
INTERNATIONAL STYLE RESTAURANT
—
COFFEE LOUNGE
—
CHEF’S KITCHEN WITH PRIVATE DINING
AND CULINARY SCHOOL
—
IN-SUITE DINING

And we know how "effortless all day dining" turned out.  And if those little snacks in Crema get credited as a "dining venue", I guess you can call everything just anything you want.

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Funny thing is that when we had drinks at the large Lobby Bar, the

cocktail napkins were printed with the MSC logo.

The MSC logo is everywhere.  Even at the bow of the ship.

"But we are not MSC"