A bubbly check in
This is a ship that runs on Champagne.
Just kidding. But the corks keep popping from the moment you step on board Explora Journeys’ new ship Explora 1. After a smooth check-in at the Port of Miami, where attendants took care of getting our bags on the ship, we’re greeted at the gangway by smiling staff offering trays covered with flutes of complimentary Moet & Chandon Champagne and mimosas.
Arriving in our suite, a welcome-aboard bottle of Veuve Cliquot Champagne is on ice. And there’s a menu of complimentary wines and liquors we can have stocked in the mini-bar, including Belvedere Vodka, Jack Daniels, Glenmorangie Scotch and Hennessy Cognac. This cruise is already altering my mind.
Explora 1 is the first of a planned fleet of Italian-built all-suite ships that carry 922 guests, double occupancy. At 377 square feet, with a 75 square foot veranda, our Ocean Suite is luxuriously spacious. It’s got a walk-in vanity and wardrobe area with hanging and storage space that even includes a drawer with dividers for storing jewelry. One of the quirkier amenities is a Dyson Supersonic hairdryer that completely fills what should be the most accessible drawer of the vanity. But there are pleny of other drawers.
Other luxury touches are binoculars for use during the cruise, heated floors in the bathroom and wireless phone charging pads on the night stands.
The marble-lined bath doesn’t have a separate toilet stall, or tub, but it’s got a huge shower alcove with a choice of nozzles including overhead rain forest. The design features a glass wall that only goes half way across the shower area, and splashing onto the bathroom floor is inevitable, but there’s a big bath mat to keep the floor dry.
The bath is stocked with some of the largest, fluffiest bath towels at sea and the bath robes and bedding are by the luxury Italian linen maker Frette. Adjacent to the bedroom there’s a living area with a comfortable couch and coffee table and the walkout veranda features lounge chairs and a table.
It’s all very spacious, but there are some foibles. Shelves dividing the bed and sitting area that might have been convenient for storage are all basically unusable because they’re covered with decorative objects that can’t be moved because they’re permanently bolted down.
A photo on the wall depicting a bookshelf filled with classic travel books sets the ship’s theme of exploration, but aside from a picture book of undersea photography, the actual books in the suite were printed in Italian–even though this is a shop that’s aimed specifically at English-speaking cruisers.
Getting a feel for our new home
Explora Journeys says that its inspiration was luxury hotels and its literature refers to the ship as “your home at sea.” Explora’s designs come from De Jorio Luxury & Yachts projects, and London-based architectural and interior design studio NenMar. It’s easy to navigate around the ship because most public areas are located on decks 11 to 14 (there is no deck 13) and the shops and restaurants are on decks 4 and 5.
There are plenty of options for taking a dip, including three outdoor pools as well as a mid-ship conservatory pool that can be covered in inclement weather. Infinity pools with whirlpool features can be found on either side of the ship as well as in a pool at the stern with a view to where the ship has sailed from. At the bow, there’s the Helios pool and bar with a view of what’s to come. There are plenty of huge and well-cushioned sun loungers on the upper decks, although with the exception of some curtained cabanas, there are few locations where you can sit in the shade if you’re not into sunbathing.
At the top of the ship on Deck 14 is the open-air sportsarea with a running track, basketball and Pickleball court and outdoor fitness area that features exercise bikes and weights that are an open-air alternative to a fitness center on deck 10. The ship’s highest bar, Sky Bar, is also located on Deck 14 and offers a great view, although it doesn’t feature much protection from the breeze on a windy day.
A prime meeting place before dinner is the Lobby Bar that can be standing room only in large part because the chairs and couches are so large there aren’t that many seating options and they aren’t easily movable. The lobby is surrounded by shops that specialize in high-end European brands including Rolex and Cartier watches and Borsalino hats, as well as boutique brands of clothing and handbags.
I personally would have appreciated more variation in the color scheme in the ship. Fabrics, carpets and walls come mostly in shades of chocolate, beige and grey. Many of the artworks in corridors are black and white as well. Even the glass in the windows has a grey tint, designed to reflect the sun’s heat and reduce the need for air conditioning, but it does have the effect of darkening rooms even at high noon.
The service is outstanding
As a new cruise line, Explora has managed to assembled a very personable and effective staff who seem to be adapting well to life at sea, even though a lot of them new to cruising. Many have worked in high-end hotels in Europe, Asia and Dubai before joining Explora and they have personable and intuitive ways of serving. They go out of their way to impress with artistic flourishes and the ability to remember your preferences.
Despite that, there were times when it seemed crew seemed to still be working on getting together as a well-meshed team. For instance, a first evening dinner in the nautical-themed Med Yacht Club restaurant was as flawlessly prepared and served as a meal in a fine restaurant in Italy. However, on another visit to the same restaurant a couple of nights later, it seemed our table was lost between two service zones. While other tables were getting unctuous service from sommeliers and waiters ,we had to continually search for our assigned wait staff and flag them down. Hopefully these are just initial adjustments.
Over-all, I have the highest praise for the crew. And the meals were consistently memorable at all of Explora’s dining outlets. Stay tuned for a feature about dining when we’ve sampled it all.
The bottom line
Explora 1 is a sleek and impressive ship whose base fares are equivalent to those on other luxury cruise lines. Air fares are not included and the shore experiences are extra and priced in Euros.
Premium touches include complimentary fast streaming wi-fi, crew gratuities, open bar and a choice free dining at nine of its 10 onboard restaurants including a pan-Asian restaurant and a steak house. A standout attraction are the high-end wines and spirits included, with the house Champagne coming from Moet & Chandon. Of course, there are also ultra-premium libations that still do cost extra.
Where Explora explores
True to its name, Explora offers far-ranging itineraries that visit locales that can be well off the beaten track. This cruise from Miami stopped in Key West and then Virgin Gorda, the seldom-visited smal port of Deschaies in Guadeloupe and Antigua. Upcoming itineraries are extensive. Notable is an 18-day itinerary round trip Vancouver in April and May that visits all the Hawaiian islands with five days at sea on both ends of the trip. Then from Vancouver, the ship sails down the Pacific coast and through the Panama Canal and Caribbean on what can become a 44-day repositioning that will bring it to Barcelona in June to start a summer season in the Mediterranean.
Sister ship Explora 2 starts sailing in August, 2024 with cruises out of Barcelona and Civitavecchia. Explora 2 will offer a Caribbean season from Florida in the winter of 2024, while Explora 1 will be sailing in the Persian Gulf. Additional sister ships will be added in 2025 and 2026, with itineraries including the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the UK, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, the U.S. East Coast, Caribbean, South America, and Hawaii.
Explora’s widely varied itineraries may have you popping a lot of corks in the future.
Story by Wallace Immen, The Cruisington Times
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