As I’ve been selling Cruises for almost 20 years now, you’d think I’d have seen a lot of new Ocean Cruiselines enter the industry during that timeframe but that hasn’t been the case at all…
…only 2 major lines have joined the Ocean Cruise industry during the past 20 years (“Viking Ocean Cruises” joined the “Upper Premium” Cruising category & “Virgin Voyages” joined the “Big Ship” lines) but no new Cruiseline has come in to compete with the “cream of the crop” of Cruises… to compete with the “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiselines which are comprised of Regent and Silversea and Seabourn.
BUT, that all changed in August of 2023 when “Explora Journeys” launched their first ship… “Explora I”… which fits just 922 guests!!
And with 5 more ships due to be launched within the next 4 years/by 2028, “Explora Journeys” are planning to become serious “players” in the “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” category of Cruising!!
FYI, like the 3 companies I mentioned above (Regent is owned by the Norwegian Cruiseline Corporation, Silversea is owned by the Royal Caribbean Cruiseline Corporation & Seabourn is owned by the Carnival Cruiseline Corporation), “Explora Journeys” is backed by a company with “Deep Pockets”!!
The “MSC Group” (Who is the 3rd biggest Cruise company in the World after Carnival & Royal Caribbean) is the creator/owner of “Explora Journeys”.
And yes, as I talk about here, “MSC Cruiseline” is NOT a high-quality Cruiseline like companies like Regent/Silversea/Seabourn are but don’t let the “MSC” name fool you into thinking “Explora Journeys” is anything like an MSC Cruise as sailing on “Explora Journeys” has as little in common with a MSC Cruise as a Regent one does to Norwegian or Silversea does to Royal Caribbean or Seabourn does to Carnival.
Yes, these top-rated companies are all owned by “Big Ship” lines but they’re totally different/far superior Cruising experiences and “Explora Journeys” is no different… it couldn’t be further from a MSC Cruise if you tried!! 😉
And FYI, the fact that these “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiselines are all owned by the “Big Ship” Corporations is a GREAT thing in my opinion as it gives them access to the needed money to expand…
…and also to get through impossibly tough times like Covid whereas a company like “Crystal”, who wasn’t backed by a major Cruise Corporation, didn’t turn out so well as we all know! 🙁
Okay, let’s get back to my excitement to try out “Explora Journeys”… a new “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiseline!!
As I had sailed on all the other 3 “players” in this category of Cruising within the past 18 months before I took my first “Explora Journeys” Cruise, I had recent experiences of what Regent/Silversea/Seabourn were all like.
And as I talk about in these articles reviewing my experience on Regent and Silversea and Seabourn, they were all truly AMAZING Cruise experiences, as good as it gets when it comes to Cruising!!
So, getting onboard my 84th Cruise/many of them “High-end” Cruises, “Explora Journeys” was going to really have to “deliver” to impress me and to “sway” me into getting me to recommend them to my VERY loyal clients over the “other 3 guys”.
So, how did “Explora Journeys” do??
Let’s get into it & start with…
“Explora Journeys” Hosts
What are “Hosts” you ask… well, that’s what “Explora Journeys” calls their staff rather than using the traditional “Crew” word that most lines use…
…and personally, I LIKE it!! 🙂
Reason being, if I worked for “Explora Journeys” and was called a “Host” I’d take WAY more responsibility in taking care of the guests onboard just like I would if I was “Hosting” them at my home compared to simply taking care of them at my place of employment!
And, by encouraging their staff to take more responsibility for the happiness of their guests who come onboard, it DEFINITELY works as, literally, of my 85 Cruises… the staff onboard “Explora I” were by far about the best I’ve ever experienced on a Cruise… amazingly Friendly & Efficient service!!
Everyone from the servers, Maitre’ds, restaurant managers, officers, bartenders, shop staff, spa staff, buffet staff, pool staff, embarkation/debarkation team, etc. were all over the top friendly and they truly felt like they loved what they were doing.
Not once did I walk past any staff member onboard who didn’t give me a smile and a hello or who didn’t let me walk through an entryway first, who didn’t hold a door for me when they had the opportunity, etc.
A few days after this Cruise, I was on a “big ship” Cruise with over 3,000 guests onboard and so many of the staff seemed so unhappy and run ragged… many of them never gave me a smile or hello, when I was on the tender boat going/coming ashore in Kona the staff who were off at the same time we’re skipping in front of me & other guests onboard with no regard for those who had paid for the Cruise, I heard some of them complaining about the cost of Wifi to call their family, etc. 🙁
So, why was “Explora Journeys” staff so over-the-top friendly & seemed happier than any staff I’ve ever come across on a Cruise?
- For starters, multiple times when I asked some of the “Hosts” onboard if they liked working for “Explora Journeys” I always got an emphatic “YES” and when I asked why, a common theme seemed to be better working hours onboard, FREE wifi to call their family anytime they wanted (And a strong enough signal to do Facetime… which is SO IMPORTANT for Cruise staff since they’re often away from their family for 6-9 months at a time!) and better accommodations. Which comes down to the old adage… “If you take GREAT care of your employees they’ll take GREAT care of your clients/guests” which definitely seems to prove more than true on “Explora Journeys”!!
2. For every 1.25 guests who “Explora Journeys” has sail on them they have 1 crew member… compare that to 1 crew member for every 2 guests or more on the”Big Ships”. I promise you, if you have only sailed on “Big Ships” this won’t sound like a big deal to you but once you sail on a small ship you’ll get it!! You’ll notice your room will be cleaned faster, buffet tables get cleaned faster, pool areas are kept clean & you won’t see towels/empty drinks all over the place, bartenders serve you quicker, service in the dining rooms is much more efficient, etc., etc. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve now personally been on 85 Cruises and I Truly believe that the service on any Cruise ship is better than almost any land venue as the workers onboard Cruise ships who come from the Philipines, Indonesia, India, etc., etc. are WAY harder workers than us North Americans are and have beautiful personalities but when you come on a line like “Explora Journeys” you’ll notice service levels go up a lot of “notches” as there are simply more staff per guest to take care of things… it’s a huge difference that I know you’ll truly appreciate once onboard!
3. As I said above, the “Hosts” onboard “Explora Journeys” have been pretty much the best staff I’ve ever come across in Cruising which is a huge compliment after having personally sailed on lines like Regent, Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, Paul Gauguin, Azmara, etc. who all have GREAT, GREAT staff!! Another reason I think “Explora Journeys” has done wonderful in this area is that they’ve thought “outside of the box” a little when it comes to hiring. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of the staff onboard worked for other lines/“Explora Journeys” recruited some of the “best of the best” in the industry to come work for them! (In fact, one of the BEST staff members I’ve ever come across during all my Cruises was a Restaurant Manager on my Seabourn Cruise and sure enough, he now works for “Explora Journeys” and has an even bigger & well-deserved role with them) But, I also talked to a bunch of “Hosts” onboard who had never worked on a Cruise before yet they were amazing at what they did!! For example, my friend who sailed on this Cruise with me doesn’t drink alcohol and normally that means on most Cruises she’s limited to a “Heineken Zero” when it comes to having something resembling an alcoholic drink. We came across a bartender at the “Lobby Bar” though who had never worked on a Cruise but worked at some VERY high-end hotels in Middle East Countries where you can’t serve alcohol but he literally knew how to make some of the most dazzling non-alcoholic drinks we’d ever seen due to that’s how they do it in the places he worked. Let’s just say, this was my friend’s 10th Cruise and she’d never been so impressed with how much someone cared about her enjoying some great drinks too/wanting to make sure she wasn’t left out when others were having a cocktail or 2… the impression little things like this makes on travelers can’t be understated as it makes them want to come back to that Cruiseline again & tell their friends about it, etc. which makes businesses grow & last a long time!
Overall, I have no doubt “Explora Journeys” follows another old adage which is “We don’t teach our people to be nice. We simply hire nice people!!’ as it truly showed in EVERY staff member I came across on the ship!!
Again, MOST Cruises have wonderful staff who work their butts off & do their best but no doubt on the big ships many of them simply get burned out dealing with 3,000-4,000+ guests every day and even on the small ships I’ve come across a sour person or 2 but, literally, on my first ever “Explora Journeys” sailing EVERYONE was happy to be there & serve us guests onboard which was beyond impressive…
…I TRULY hope “Explora Journeys” can keep this service level consistent as they launch Explora II, III, IV, VI & VI as seeing an entire ship of happy Crew/”Hosts” was a wonderful experience!! 🙂
“Explora Journeys” Suites & “Residences”
Like the other 3 Cruiselines in the “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” category of Cruises, we “skip” right over calling any of Explora Journey’s rooms “staterooms” as we do on the “Big Ships” as everything on these Luxury ships is considered a Suite!
Unlike going on “Big Ship” Cruises where you can get “Inside” Staterooms with no windows that are around 160 square feet or similar size “Oceanview” rooms with windows that don’t open or “Balcony” rooms that are around 215 square feet with a private outside Veranda…
…when you sail on an “Explora Journeys” Cruise you WON’T have the choice to stay in any of those rooms!!
Which is a GREAT thing!! 😉
Reason being, if you sail on an “Explora Journeys” Cruise and even if you book the “worst” room onboard, it’ll be a 377-square-foot “Ocean Terrace Suite” like this which is equivalent to being in a REALLY nice Suite on a “Big Ship” where you’d be considered one of the “big wigs” onboard…
…point being, even in an “entry-level” room onboard an “Explora Journeys” Cruise you’ll feel like a “big wig” too as you’ll be staying in a REALLY NICE Suite!! 🙂
FYI, EVERY Suite onboard an “Explora Journeys” Cruise comes with its own private balcony… or, as “Explora Journeys” calls them… “Terraces”! 😉
So, NO Inside rooms or Oceanview rooms like on the “Big Ships”… to me, that’s pretty much PERFECT and the way ALL Cruise ship rooms should be… if you’re going to sail on the Ocean don’t you want to see it, “feel” it, smell it… EXPERIENCE it!!
On top of a private Terrace, each room comes with…
A “lounging” area separate from the bed to dine in, watch TV in, etc.
A mini-fridge with included non-alcoholic & alcoholic drinks of your choice… plus, a bottle of Champagne and a bottle of wine & a bottle of liquor of your choice upon arrival
An Espresso machine & a kettle
A “daybed” on your Terrace
A “King-Size” bed that converts to 2 “Twins” if needed (FYI, only SOME rooms can covert their King to 2 twins so let me know when you book if that’s a must for you!!)
A “walk-in” closet
Wireless charging on your nightstands
And a Beautiful bathroom with heated floors
Beyond that, you’ll notice lots of Great “little touches” in your Suite like quality hangars that don’t slide around to the motion of the ship, a VERY expensive Dyson hairdryer, individual refillable water bottles that can be filled at the water stations around the ship to use at the gym/on excursions, etc.
Overall, an “entry-level” room on an “Explora Journeys” Cruise is NOT a basic room like on a “big ship” that the comedians make fun of at their shows!! 😉
Want to see what one of these “entry-level” Suites looks like in “real-life”?
If so, check out this video of a 377-square-foot “Ocean Terrace Suite”.
Now, if you’re someone who normally stays in the even bigger rooms when you Cruise, no worries, “Explora Journeys” has bigger Suites too!!
Whether it’s a 463-732 square foot “Penthouse Suite” (These Suites & above come with an in-room “Technogym” training kit and the guidance of a “Technogym” Virtual Coach)…
…or a 753-1,604 square foot “Ocean Residence” (Which comes with Butler service & a private outdoor Whirlpool)…
…or a 3,014 square foot “Owner’s Residence” (Which comes with Butler service & a private outdoor Whirlpool)…
…there’s a Suite/Residence for every “taste” and every budget onboard!!
FYI, if you visit here you can see a video of my 517 square foot “Deluxe Penthouse” that I stayed in and the videos after that show you some other “Penthouses” & “Residences” onboard “Explora I”.
A note about the “Butler Service” I mentioned above that the “Residences” come with…
…as I’ve mentioned in multiple blog posts and galleries of mine in the past where I’ve stayed in a room with Butler service, it’s NOT at all pretentious or “too much” to have a Butler like many of us thought it’d be before we tried it.
Your room’s Butler is simply there to make everything better/more seamless for you like making sure your room is set up exactly the way you want it, they make sure any room service you order is delivered at the time of your choosing, they help you with any laundry you need done, with making reservations at the restaurants, etc.
Far from invasive, they’ll feel like one of your best friends by the time your Cruise is done and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them!! 🙂
**Hot tip!!** As you’ll see in my video of the “Deluxe Penthouse” I stayed in, it had a bathtub/shower combination. If you don’t foresee taking a bath while on your Cruise make sure to ask me to NOT book you a room with a bath in it as the “step up” into the bath was high/if you’re not going to use it I’m confident you’ll find a “Shower Only” room more comfortable!!
“Explora Journeys” Food
Alright, now that you’ve seen your choice of Beautiful “Suites” & “Residences” that you can stay in when onboard “Explora I”, next let’s look at some of the VERY yummy food you can enjoy during your sailing!!
As I talk about here, in my opinion, “Oceania Cruises” has pretty much the best food at sea!
Well, since the head/creator of “Explora Journeys” Culinary program was the former “Culinary Director” at Oceania, I had HIGH expectations for the food on “Explora Journeys” and they did NOT disappoint!!
Meal after meal on “Explora Journeys” I experienced high quality/super fresh ingredients that were always presented beautifully and with a smile!!
And not only were the restaurants themselves beautiful to look at/were very tastefully decorated (And had GREAT views overlooking the Ocean!) but even the plates & cutlery were very high-quality products… every part of every meal felt very well thought out & it felt that great effort was put into the food onboard “Explora Journeys”!!
Overall, I looked forward to every meal I ate onboard “Explora I” and I couldn’t miss a day at the gym as I knew I’d be eating VERY well at each meal so I didn’t want to miss a course!! 😉
With that said, the portions were always a nice reasonable size that allowed you to enjoy multi-course meals without feeling totally stuffed by the end of each meal… again, A LOT of effort has been put into the food that’s served onboard “Explora Journeys”… no doubt you’ll see that too after just a few meals onboard!
If you visit here you can check out a few dozen pictures & captions I added to my gallery of this Cruise that shows you some of the tasty dishes I enjoyed at:
“Fil Rouge” which is a French Restaurant
“Med Yacht Club” which featured dishes & flavours you’d find at restaurants all around the Mediterranean Sea
“Marble & Co. Grill” which is a Steakhouse
“Sakura” which features “Pan-Asian” Cuisine
FYI, as I talk about in the caption under this picture, the above 4 restaurants can be enjoyed for no extra charge whereas “Anthology” comes with an extra fee to dine there.
And as I talk about in the caption under this picture, due to a bad experience on “Virgin Voyages” years ago I was worried about a potential lack of variety of food that “Explora Journeys” would have onboard due to not having a “Main Dining” room… but that was for sure unfounded!!… due to the significant choice of dishes at the above 4 restaurants and the high quality of the buffet/”Emporium Marketplace” in the evenings! 😉
Beyond all the very impressive above “A-la-carte” restaurants that you can enjoy onboard “Explora I”, as I show/talk about in the captions under these few pictures, there are a few more ways onboard to enjoy “Explora Journeys” quality food at the Gelateria & Creperie or at Tea Time or in the “Crema Cafe” or by ordering some In-Suite Dining!
In summary, I was beyond impressed with the food quality & choices onboard “Explora I”… I’ve personally sailed on all the top Cruise lines in the World and “Explora Journeys” culinary experience is for sure about as good as it gets in the industry so, once you get onboard yourself, be prepared to take your taste buds on a Very special Journey!! 😋
“Explora Journeys” Inclusions
Have you Cruised on a “Big Ship” Cruise lately like Carnival, Royal, Norwegian, Holland, Princess or Celebrity?
Either way, WOW… they “nickel & dime” you to death on those ships! 🙁
Not to pick on “Celebrity” (I actually think when it comes to the big ships they’re the highest quality of them all when it comes to food, service, their Beautiful ships, etc.) but I happened to take a 10 day Cruise from Hawaii back to Vancouver on “Celebrity Edge” just 4 days after this “Explora Journeys” sailing so it was the perfect time to compare a “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruise to a “Big Ship” Cruise and…
…what a HUGE quality difference it is from ship to ship!! 😳
From the food quality to the room sizes to the lack of line ups to the friendliness & competence of the staff, etc., etc., etc. a “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruise is a MUCH, MUCH higher quality Cruise than a big ship one!! (With that said, as I talk about under this pic, a “Big Ship” blows the “Small/Luxury/All-Inclusive” ships away when it comes to entertainment!! 😉)
But, as I mentioned above, the huge thing you’ll notice is the big ships “nickel & dime” you to death!! 😟
Literally, we couldn’t eat a meal onboard Celebrity without someone approaching us to eat at the “Specialty Restaurants” that cost extra (As I talk about under this picture, it cost me around $800 to eat at those places on my Celebrity Cruise!!) or they were always trying to get us to go to the spa or if you had a drink package to upgrade to the “Premium” option or to buy at the shops, take expensive photos, etc.
And as I talk about under this picture, drinks are getting so expensive on the big ships!!
As are gratuities for the staff ($20 per person per day), wifi ($30+ per day) & everything else onboard!!
BUT, all those worries go away when you take an “Explora Journeys” Cruise as pretty much everything you can imagine onboard is INCLUDED in your upfront price… my onboard account literally had a $0 balance on it after being onboard for 9 days!!
As mentioned here, everything from…
Unlimited non-alcoholic & alcoholic drinks including Fine wines & premium spirits (If you check out this picture & the few that follow it you can see some of the drink choices you can enjoy onboard as well as some of the Beautiful Lounges you can enjoy them in!)
High-quality meals (Besides the 1 restaurant I mentioned above, “Anthology”)
Hi-Speed Wifi (On Explora’s 3 main competitors I received 1 wifi account per person whereas on “Explora Journeys” they gave us 3 wifi accounts per person so we could be on multiple devices and it was literally the FASTEST wifi I’ve ever used “at sea”… streaming was no problem and it was up 99+% of the time… not sure what technology they use but it was even better than “Starlink” I’ve used on multiple ships which many lines gloat about!)
Access to the Spa’s “Thermal Suite” (This was $85 per day on Celebrity whose option wasn’t even as nice! FYI, if you read the caption under this picture I explain the time restrictions when it comes to when you can use the “Thermal Suite”)
Fitness Classes (Yoga, Pilates, etc. On “Big Ships” these usually run $25-$40 per class!)
Shuttle service (To most city centers when your port doesn’t dock right in town)
Self-Service Laundry (As I talk about under this picture Regent “outshines” Explora in this area!! 😉)
Gratuities for the onboard staff
…are included in your “Explora Journeys” upfront price!
Which means, instead of being “nickeled & dimed” to death like on the “Big Ships”…
…when you take an “Explora Journeys” Cruise you get the money “hassles” out of the way the day you book your Cruise so that once you’re onboard your cherished Vacation the only thing you’ll need to worry about is having a GREAT time!! 🙂
“Explora Journeys” Public space
As I’ve mentioned multiple times above, everything you come across onboard an “Explore Journeys” Cruise is HIGH quality and the “Public areas” on the ship only enhance that thought even more!!
From the 4 pools (Including, as you’ll see here, a covered one as well as 2 with a Beautiful “Aft” view of the Ocean!) and the multiple hot tubs that you can relax at during your sunny days onboard that feature cushy lounge chairs & thick towels and 64 Cabanas (That come with NO extra charge unlike the $300 per day Cabanas on the Celebrity Cruise I was on after this sailing!)
To the high-tech gym (As I talk about here the weight machines literally counted my reps for me!! 😉)
To the “Thermal Suite” I talked about above & here
To the Nighttime Movies with your own private headset
To the show lounge with it’s spread out seats, each set of them with their own table
To the Beautiful fresh flowers & fancy staircases & artwork, etc. that you can get a taste of here
To the Beautiful Lounges where you can enjoy a beverage or two
To the furniture & carpets & public washrooms, etc.
One thing I KNOW you’ll notice when you get onboard and check out your “Explora Journeys” ship is that EVERYTHING onboard is HIGH quality…
…High-quality products are for sure one of the first things you’ll notice when you step onboard your own “Explora Journeys” Cruise ship which will feel Beautiful & Elegant & Modern… it’ll definitely give you that prosperous feeling that you picked a great mode of transportation for your hard-earned Vacation!! 🙂
As you can see, according to above, “Explora Journeys” sounds like a pretty perfect way to take a Vacation… wouldn’t you agree?? 😉
So, “Any negatives about Cruising with “Explora Journeys” that you can tell me about Shawn?” you may be asking???
Sincerely, I have a hard time coming up with something as they truly did a Great job all around but one thing I noticed is that… even though MOST Cruiselines overcharge for them… I thought the “Shore Excursions” prices onboard Explora were about the highest I’ve ever seen!! 😟
Now, maybe over time they can get their prices down as they bring out more ships & do more volume but, at least for now, if you do your “Shore Excursions” through “Explora Journeys” know you’re overpaying compared to using a 3rd party company!
Personally, this isn’t a big deal for me or for many of my clients who have no issue “doing their own thing” in port by getting out on our feet or by booking excursions through 3rd party companies like “Shore Excursions Group”, “Viator”, “Get Your Guide”, etc.
BUT, if you’re the type of person who simply likes booking all your “Shore Excursions” through the Cruiseline as you’re more comfortable knowing they’re handling every detail for you and that you have no worries of getting back to the ship on time, etc. and if it’s going to bother you to see the expensive prices you’re paying for each excursion… then you may be better served by booking a Cruise on a company like Regent who includes LOTS of excursions in the price of your Cruise.
Again though, if you’re good to “do your own thing” and you’re fine booking excursions through 3rd party companies then this will be a non-issue for you/there’s literally nothing else I can think of that I need to “warn” you of when it comes to sailing on “Explora Journeys”! 😉
Well, there you go, I hope you enjoyed my “review” of “Explora I” & “Explore Journeys”! 😃
If you’d like to see ALL the pictures & videos I took while onboard “Explora I” simply click here.
I have to say, this is for sure a Cruiseline I’ll be sailing with again down the road & no doubt over the years I’ll be booking many of my Loyal clients who love small ships on her too…
…it’s definitely a product I know everyone will enjoy… SUPER HIGH-quality just like Regent and Silversea and Seabourn!
No doubt for consumers it’s GREAT to have another excellent “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiseline in this Category of Cruising as competition keeps everyone “on their toes” when it comes to delivering Beautiful ships & Great food & service… all wonderful things to help you have many Memorable Cruise Vacations in the years to come!! 🙂
If you’re interested in learning more about “Explora Journeys” or are ready to book your first (Or next!) sailing on them, simply contact me here and I’ll make sure to take GREAT care of you as always and will help you get your next Memorable Vacation booked! 🙂
FYI, when it comes to where I sailed on this Cruise, it was a 9 night trip from Vancouver to Hawaii.
To see all my pictures & videos from this Journey you can visit here and for what I saw & experienced in Hawaii during this trip click here.
As I talk about here Hawaii is a GREAT place to Cruise to!!
I’ve now done 5 cruises to/from/around that Beautiful State and have loved them all… if Hawaii is on your “Bucket-list”, for sure make sure you get there & visit as many of the 4 main Islands as possible as they’re all unique & Beautiful in their own ways, you don’t want to miss any of them! 🙂
I Appreciate You!!
Shawn Power
Your Trusted Cruise & Tauck Tour Expert!