Christmas Cruise

[parallax]

On Friday, we disembarked from Explora's Christmas Cruise.  It was everything we hoped it would be.  There food was great, service was impeccable and we met interesting fellow passengers and crew members.  Two days in, we booked one cruise in 2024 and have an option for another one in 2025.  Since I'm tecnically still on vacation, I'm too lazy to write a comprehensive report. Instead, I will just list things that are of front of mind.

 

• The number of passengers on the ship is somewhat of a mystery.  I was told by one crew member that there were 600 people on the ship.  Another officer said there were 700.  It is my understanding that kids were not always calculated into the count.  My best guess is that the ship was 3/4 full.  It sounded like the NYE cruise was almost at capacity.  The staff did say it was the busiest sailing yet.  
• A fuller ship did not impact service.  Service was top notch and akin to what you would receive on Crystal.  I was extremely impressed at the level of service.  I found that the bartenders appreciated the opportunity to show off their skills.  I would talk about the drink profiles I like and let the come up with a drink.  I came home with an expanded cocktail list. 
• The food was exceptional.  Med Yacht Club was the only place that had some problems.  We went there on the second night and the food was slow on arriving and the food was a tad cold, especially the dover sole.   In talking to fellow passengers, it sounds like they had similar problems on Christmas Eve.  We went the last night and everything was perfect.  
• Sakura is fantastic and is better than Umi Uma in my mind.  It is the hotest restaurant on the ship and hard to get second reservations.
• The Marketplace is the best buffet in the cruise industry.  I loved the options and the quality of the food.  We went there for dinner and enjoyed the grilled seafood immensely.  There are wonderful outdoor spaces to eat but hardly anyone ever used them.
• The internet is fabulous.  You can stream videos.  I saw people watching football games on their phones and tablets.
• We played a couple of nights in the casino and it was very popular.  For BJ players, the minimum was $25.    They would rate your play and you could use the free play obtained in one of the slots.  It was interesting to note that several families that typically cruise on Crystal during the holidays did not do so because there was no casino.
• The Rolex Store was a busy as busy can be.  My wife ended up getting a Rolex and so did many other passengers. I do not know much about watches (not my interest) but it is my understanding they had availability that you cannot usually find in the States.
• If you love an Old Fashioned, go see Darryl at the Whiskey Bar and he will provide you a show and a great drink.
• We were in a base level suite and we had plenty of room and storage.  Our room attendant was fabulous.  We had two adults and teenager in the room.  She slept on a rollaway and found it to be very comfortable.
• There are so many pools on the ship and so there is no challenge in finding a lounger in a prime localtion.  We preferred to sit at the Atoll Pool.   The staff was fabulous and we were one level below the Marketplace.
•  The Kids' Club was amazing.  My daughter had a wonderful time.  On Christmas Day, Santa came to visit.  The younger kids received a very nice Lego set.  The older kids received Beats Headphones. Even kids who didn't go see Santa had these gifts waiting in their rooms. 
•  The fact that they do not have a loyalty club up and running is annoying.  It is unclear why there is a delay. 
• The daily program is very barebones.  One needs to use the QR code at the program to get additional information.
• We found the entertainment to be very good but not great.  The tribute to Billy Joel was bizzare.  They played some more obscure songs and the order was perplexing.  It needs fine tuning.  
• Our take away from the cruise is that it was almost perfect. As people in our early 50s, we are less interested in the more formal or more traditional approaches to cruising.  If one is looking for the same structure you can find at other luxury cruise lines, it might not be right for you.  However, if one has an open mind, then you can have a great time.

 

I'm happy to answer any questions.  I will also share my thoughts on the Granduer vs. Explora, as we had an opportunity to visit the Granduer the day before boarding the Explora.  These will be more observations than anything else.   

[maggie.1008]

I am very interested in comparison with Regents Grandeur. 

[Dr. Cocktail]

1 hour ago, parallax said:

 

• Our take away from the cruise is that it was almost perfect. As people in our early 50s, we are less interested in the more formal or more traditional approaches to cruising.  If one is looking for the same structure you can find at other luxury cruise lines, it might not be right for you.  However, if one has an open mind, then you can have a great time.

 

 

Thanks for your spot-on review!  I am 60 and my partner is 58 and we LOVED the overall product with some reservations that I see are being addressed.

 

My cruising friends have asked why I didn't place a review and I said I was tired of being attacked by the Seabourn and Regent trolls who took great offense that MSC could somehow deliver a luxury product.

 

Thanks again for taking the time and I'm counting down the weeks to my next one!

[frankhi]

Thanks for the review. I have my first EJ cruise coming up in 3 weeks (and 3 more EJ after that, the sale was just to good). What restaurants should I make reservations for ahead of time?

[PaulMCO]

6 hours ago, Dr. Cocktail said:

Thanks for your spot-on review!  I am 60 and my partner is 58 and we LOVED the overall product with some reservations that I see are being addressed.

 

My cruising friends have asked why I didn't place a review and I said I was tired of being attacked by the Seabourn and Regent trolls who took great offense that MSC could somehow deliver a luxury product.

 

Thanks again for taking the time and I'm counting down the weeks to my next one!

As a lover of both lines -- would be interested in a review.

We get to see for ourselves the same -- as we board on 5 Jan...

 

@parallax many thanks for your review.

 

 

Edited January 1 by PaulMCO

[as3369]

Thank you for your review.  We board on Jan 31st for a 9 day voyage.  We sailed on Regent Splendor over the summer (our 1st Luxury cruise) and it will be interesting to compare.  We have never sailed on MSC.  From your comments, I believe that we are the right passengers for the Explora!

[Dr. Cocktail]

13 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

As a lover of both lines -- would be interested in a review.

We get to see for ourselves the same -- as we board on 5 Jan...

 

@parallax many thanks for your review.

 

 

I'll simply say that keep an open mind and that you'll love it.  You might miss production shows and some of the activities but the food leaves Regent in the dust as do the outdoor decks.

 

Have a great time!

[parallax]

15 hours ago, frankhi said:

Thanks for the review. I have my first EJ cruise coming up in 3 weeks (and 3 more EJ after that, the sale was just to good). What restaurants should I make reservations for ahead of time?

Edited January 2 by parallax
I would definitely make reservations for Sakura and Marble & Co.

[parallax]

I will preface this by saying that we never have been on Regent.  However, soon our kiddo will be heading off to college and we will have more flexibility to travel.  Therefore, we were very interested in the Grandeur and the cruise line in general.  Our travel agent was able to get us on a tour.  It encompassed a walkthrough of the public spaces, viewing several of the different types of cabins available and lunch.  We thought the ship was stunning.  The Compass Rose restaurant was beautiful, as well as Pacific Rim.  Explora's restaurants while very well designed, had a little less style in our mind.  One strange aspect is that the Atrium's ceiling on Grandeur rose to the top of the ship.  It looked like a giant white wall rising 6/7 stories.  We thought the Atrium or Lobby in the Explora had a nicer design and seemed more elegant.  The main pool on the Grandeur was very nice but the aft plunge pool, if you really can call it that,  does not compare to what one can find on the Explora.   If pools are important to you, the Explora wins hands down.  The spas facilities on both ships are very nice but we liked the facilities on the Explora slightly more.  The salt room on the Explora was a big draw for us.

 

On the Grandeur, we saw the different top level suites and they were beautiful and well appointed.  The concierge suites had a very nice layout and were over 400 sq ft. The one category of rooms we found somewhat disappointing was the veranda suite and the deluxe veranda suite.   The storage in the veranda suite was somewhat lacking.  The biggest issue for both categories of suites is that they had an extremely small bathroom.  I thought the base level suites on the Explora were nicer.  One last note on the suites.  Regent told us what type of champagne that each category of suites received.  For penthouse and above,  the customer received Veuve Clicquot.  On Explora, we received Veuve for our basic ocean terrace suite.  Dom was provided to certain upper level cabins.

 

Finally, the one thing that jumped out to me about the Grandeur is that the ceilings seemed to be very low in some areas and the passage ways to seem somewhat narrower that one would find on a cruise ship.  I'm 5'11"  and I kept on looking up because my head was closer to some of the fixtures than I'm use to.

 

Overall, the Grandeur was a stunning ship and I'm sure one day we will try Regent.  I think the Grandeur is more traditional in design and would be a comforting to traditionalist cruisers.  I'm more partial to the more modern looking Explora and their somewhat different spin on luxury cruising.   

[PutnamNY]

Very interesting on the Rolex store. Do they sell the different models? or is it just a display store?

[Stickman1990]

2 hours ago, PutnamNY said:

Very interesting on the Rolex store. Do they sell the different models? or is it just a display store?

They sell and deliver onboard a certain range of the Rolex's - not all models are available for delivery but several are including the ones that are hard to get in the normal land based stores 

[PaulMCO]

On 1/25/2024 at 8:25 PM, PutnamNY said:

Very interesting on the Rolex store. Do they sell the different models? or is it just a display store?

Just remember if your are an American, the sale of any of the $$ watches will be reported to CBP and you will be on a POI list and will be pulled over and ashed to make a declaration.  These are not duty free watches.  (experience dictates this)