Last week, I spent a few days onboard a new ‘cruise line’ for us, Explora Journeys, on a ‘journey’ from Bari in Puglia to Venice.
Born from the heritage of the MSC Group, and that shouldn’t be held against it, as it’s every bit the competitor to its older rivals – Regent Seven Seas Cruises (part of Norwegian Cruise Line), Silversea (part of Royal Caribbean) and Seabourn (part of Carnival) – and expect pricing in that sort of range.
However, Explora Journeys has a modern take on the ‘ultra-luxury’ cruise arena – and you can tell that straight away as they don’t call them cruises, they are journeys. The ships are designed with upmarket boutique hotels in mind, rather than a traditional cruise ship, so there’s plenty of space onboard (either inside or outside), everyone has a balcony, sorry – terrace, and there’s no ‘main dining room’ or set dining times. So many elements of what you associate with a cruise have been reimagined as if you were on land.
Explora I – Lobby Bar
The current fleet begins with Explora I (of which I sailed on and will have more detail on that next week), launched in 2023, carrying up to 922 guests in just over 450 suites. Its sister ship, Explora II, which joined in 2024, is near enough identical, with four more scheduled through to 2028, including ships powered by LNG and even hydrogen. The ships are built with hybrid-ready technology, shore power capability, no single-use plastics, and a long-term plan for alternative fuels, which have required slight redesigns on the later ships.
With only two ships at the moment, there is a clear emphasis on the MSC heartlands of the Mediterranean and Caribbean. However, they do have some more unusual ports included, and it’s notable that due to overcrowding in Santorini, they won’t be calling there this year. In the Caribbean, they switch between Miami, San Juan and Barbados, again generally in 7, 14, 21 night durations.
Depending on the cruise, there’ll be one sea day in 7, and they do tend to stay longer in port. Over the next 18 months, and with more ships coming, they will have itineraries in the Middle East, Eastern US and Alaska as well.
Everything is included – from premium wines and spirits to fine coffee, gratuities, Wi-Fi and spa access (the Wi-Fi is excellent), although there are supplements for the very finest drinks and one restaurant – Anthology. The crew-to-guest ratio is high – 1.25:1, and the ‘hosts’ are really friendly, having been trained in Switzerland, rather than the traditional cruise training. Excursions, or should I call them experiences, are not included, because they didn’t feel everyone should be obliged to go on them, but shuttle buses are provided into local ports if required, and you can pay extra for their experiences.
Nautilus Club
Unusually for this market, Explora Journeys is a great choice for families and solo travellers. There is a kids club onboard called the Nautilus Club for older children and teenagers, with a maximum of 80 children onboard at any one time. There are interconnecting suites and larger suites to accommodate families as well.
If you like the Ikos hotels, but you want a little more adventure and seeing different places, this is the journey for you!
Solo travellers are also equally well looked after. There are permanently low single-supplement rates (and sometimes no single supplement), and once onboard a special solo travellers programme including meet-ups and the option to dine with others.
It’s very different to anything else I have seen before, and if I said that I was so impressed that I would travel with them again, you’ll know that it’s a great product.
If you would like any more information about Explora Cruises, contact us on:
☎️ 01442 879787
📧 yourdreamholiday@traveltimeworld.co.uk
📍 254 High Street, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 1AQ
