As I talk about here, around 70% of my personal clients sail on the “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiselines when they take an Ocean Cruise.
ZERO “nickel & diming”, Beautiful rooms , Top-Notch service, awesome food, no crowds… who wouldn’t like this style of vacation!!
And when it comes to the 5 main lines in the “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiselines category, “Explora Journeys” is for sure one of the best in my personal experience onboard… and since over 90% of my clients who sail on Explora Journeys rebook their next Explora Cruise while onboard their current one to get the best deal (And by doing so they STILL get my FREE shore excursion or FREE onboard credit so “Win/Win” for them!) it seems my clients agree “Explora Journeys” is one of the best lines in the industry as well!
If that all makes you curious to learn more about Explora, below is my picture & video gallery from my recent sailing on “Explora II” to give you a feel for what an “Explora Journeys” Cruise is all about! 🙂
Below is “Explora II”, the Beautiful ship that was my “home” while I sailed around the Caribbean from Barbados to Miami.
With a capacity of just 922 guests she’s a perfect size ship in my experience as you’re not stuck onboard with 3,000-7,500 others as the big ships carry these days but she’s also not too small that there’s no choice when it comes to restaurants, lounges, pools/hot tubs, etc.
After 92 personal Cruises I can for sure say this “in between” size of ship (Not too big & not too small) is easily one of my favorites as it’s the perfect mix of adventure & relaxation onboard! 🙂
Before I “show you around” Explora II, let’s talk about who “Explora Journeys” is & what clientele they’re a fit for, who they’re not for, and how they’re different than the other “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiselines.
Speaking of other “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiselines, based on my 20+ years of experience in the Cruising industry, Regent & Silversea are the most widely known brands in this category of Cruising and pretty much all my personal clients who regularly take “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Ocean Cruises have sailed on at least 1 of these 2 lines. Due to that, I created this video to explain a little further how Explora Journeys compares to Regent & Silversea and what the differences are.
As I talk about here, well known Cruiselines “Viking Ocean Cruises” & “Oceania Cruises” fit into the “Upper Premium” category of Cruiselines and for some unknown reason I’ve heard others try to lump “Explora Journeys” into the same category of Cruiselines… but I 100% disagree… and in this video, I explain why!
Alright, now that you know who “Explora Journeys” is & how they compare to the other well known lines in the “small ship” Cruising World… let’s take a closer look at what an “Explora Journeys” Cruise ship is like to see if one of their Beautiful vessels could be a fit for your next… or first… Ocean Cruise!
Before I get into the finer details below, first let’s start with an overview video of “Explora II” to get a feel of what you’ll get to experience if you choose to embark on an “Explora Journeys” Cruise yourself
Alright, now that you’ve seen an overview of an “Explora Journeys” cruise ship, let’s get into the finer details.
Order of business #1… let’s look at the AWESOME rooms onboard “Explora II”… which are the same options on all their ships since all the ships they are launching are “sister” ships.
I had to put the below picture first as ALL rooms on all “Explora Journeys” ships feature a private Veranda (Or “Terrace” as Explora calls them) which is a huge plus in my mind as who wants to spend $1,000s per person to go on a Cruise ship where there’s no window at all or the window doesn’t open… definitely not me… below are the type of sunsets I want to be enjoying every evening as I sail the Beautiful Seas of the World!! 🙂
This video shows you the 550 square foot “Premier Penthouse” that I stayed in when on my “Explora II” sailing… this was my 92nd Cruise and for sure one of the nicer rooms I’ve stayed in… between the “separate” living room & bedroom areas and the comfy couch in the living room and the “daybed” on the Terrace, I felt “at home” wherever I was in our Suite! 🙂
As my “Explora II” sailing was very full, I couldn’t get into all the Suites during my sailing so some of these videos are from my “Explora I” sailing like this one, but again, these rooms are identical on all their ships so this is the same on “Explora II”.
Here’s a 646 square foot “Grand Penthouse” which like my “Premier Penthouse” has a separate living room/bedroom area but it’s almost 20% bigger for those of you who enjoy even more personal space.
This 500 square foot “Deluxe Penthouse” is what I stayed in when on “Explora I”… really nice room as well but I personally enjoy the “separation” between the living room & bedroom that the “Premier Penthouse” & “Grand Penthouse” offers.
Alright, let’s get into the really fun rooms… let’s talk about “The Residences” that come with hot tubs on the Terraces and Butler service & other Great perks like private transfers to/from your Cruise ship! 🙂
Here’s a look at an 800 square foot “Cove Residence”… Beautiful room!
FYI, in that video I said that ALL “Residences” feature a hot tub on the Terrace… BUT, that’s changing with “Explora III” where they’ll have a “Cove Residence” & a “Cove Residence with Whirlpool” option… so make sure to let me know you want the second option when you book with me if you want that outdoor hot tub!
This video shows you an 830 square foot “Retreat Residence”… I have to say, I like that bathroom!! 🙂
This video shows you a 1,356 square foot “Serenity Residence”… quite the “Terrace”, right!! 😉
As you’ll see in that video the “Owner’s Residence” runs the entire length of the back of the ship, nice!!
FYI, I couldn’t get into these “Residences” to show you but if you have a really big budget & love a really big room when at sea, “Explora Journey’s” ships also offer a 1,605 square foot “Cocoon Residence” and a 3,015 square foot “Owner’s Residence”… so some VERY nice room options onboard “Explora II”!! 🙂
Here’s my last room video of a 377 square foot “Ocean Terrace Suite”… you know you’re sailing on an Awesome ship when this room is “as bad” as it gets!! 😂
Now that you’ve seen the Beautiful room options onboard an “Explora Journeys” Cruise ship, let’s look at the awesome food options!
As this video shows you, the food onboard an “Explora Journeys” sailing is for sure going to be a MAJOR highlight of your onboard experience!! 🙂
Speaking of the awesome food options onboard Explora Journeys, it’d be a shame if I didn’t point out “Anthology” to you… so, as I don’t like to let me clients down, let’s talk about “Anthology” now! 😉
As I talk about in this video, “Anthology” is the only place onboard where you can spend money but in my experience it was well worth it!
And as mentioned in that video, on many of Explora’s sailings I’ll be adding some FREE onboard spending money to your booking to help pay for this meal. (Or, if it doesn’t appeal to eat here you can use my money to go to the shops, spa, etc.)
With that said, on some sailings my “perk” when booking with me is a FREE shore excursion instead, so on those sailings you’d need to pay for “Anthology” out of your own pocket but either way… as this video shows… you’re going to have a memorable meal at this yummy venue!!
For those of you who like to stay healthy while on your vacations, as this “Wellness” video explains, “Explora Journeys” makes that super easy on their ships!!
This video shows you one of the biggest highlights of Explora’s wellness programs on their ships which is their “Wellness Area” that’s FREE onboard their sailings… if you’re a big time Cruiser like me you know the big ship lines charge $30-$40 per person per day & up to visit these areas so getting to enjoy them for FREE on an “Explora Journeys” Cruise is a huge plus in my mind!! 🙂
Well, there you go, that was a look at “Explora Journeys” Beautiful “Explora II” Cruise ship… I hope you enjoyed checking her out!!
If you’re looking for a Cruiseline that does NOT nickel & dime you onboard after you’ve bought your Cruise and that has a VERY high crew to guest ratio that provides first-class (But definitely not pretentious service!) and that offers AWESOME rooms to stay in onboard their ships and some of the best food that you’ll ever taste at sea…
…then an “Explora Journeys” Cruise could be the perfect fit for you!!
Whether you’re ready to get your first (or next!) “Explora Journeys” Cruise booked or you have more questions, simply contact me here and I’ll get you on your way to experiencing a Great & Memorable “Explora Journeys” vacation of your own!!
I Appreciate You!
Shawn Power
Your Trusted Cruise and Tauck Tour & Africa Safari Expert!