Table Of Content
- The Ocean Wellness Spa is Sublime, But the Outside Retreat Space is Underwhelming
- Explora Journeys is Welcoming of Families
- The On Board Experience
- Rooms on Explora I Are All Suites, Including Some of the Largest Entry-Level Suites at Sea
- Explora Journeys introduces exclusive Mediterranean experiences for 2024
This is where the ship begins to really feel like a luxury resort (though a retractable roof is, of course, a tried-and-trusted cruise ship design and a smart move for when the ship is in cooler climates). Explora I is an easy-to-navigate ship, with suites located on decks 6 to 10 and most public spaces located on decks 11 to 14 (there is no Deck 13) and on decks 4 and 5. Though Explora Journeys is an all-inclusive cruise line, including drinks, Wi-Fi, gratuities and shuttles into port, where necessary, it does not extend to covering any shore excursions or airfare. Pricing, however, is pretty much in line with other luxury cruise lines.
The Ocean Wellness Spa is Sublime, But the Outside Retreat Space is Underwhelming
One waiter saw me taking photos of the kitchen and invited me back to take a look -- a move that would delight any guest. Garanger said the line brings in special flour for its homemade pizzas. Baguettes and bread are made twice a day, as opposed to once, so all the baked goods are fresh. That shift in the music heard onboard, from standards to more Generation X favorites, is deliberate.
Inside MSC’s new luxury cruise line, Explora Journeys and its maiden voyage - Style
Inside MSC’s new luxury cruise line, Explora Journeys and its maiden voyage.
Posted: Sun, 13 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Explora Journeys is Welcoming of Families
The service at Anthology was also the best and most intuitive that we had on the ship. There were a few instances onboard where we felt the servers weren't confident with the preparation -- in the Emporium Marketplace one night, for example, a server drowned my grilled lobster in butter as opposed to putting it in a ramekin. Luxury cruisers do compare included wines from different lines, and we'd hate for foodies to bypass Explora Journeys because of an easy fix.
Explora Journeys' Explora I Cruise Ship Review - Travel + Leisure
Explora Journeys' Explora I Cruise Ship Review.
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The On Board Experience
And Explora Journeys is definitely not a cruise line, it is a luxury lifestyle brand. Passengers disperse nicely to the different venues to enjoy drinks or a bite to eat. Emporium Marketplace and, for breakfast, Fil Rouge certainly appeared the busiest dining spots on our sailing, but, again, never overcrowded. From Crema Café to the Astern Pool & Bar, there was always a nice buzz onboard throughout the day, with the ship’s passengers mostly winding down early. Deck 11 is a vibrant deck centered on the Conservatory Pool & Bar under the cover of a retractable roof.
But that doesn’t mean the other dining venues aren’t upscale as well.
Deck 5’s Astern Pool & Bar is another show piece, just on a smaller scale. This glamorous wake infinity pool wouldn’t be out of place in Bali, Cabo or Mykonos -- though you will likely hear Explora Journeys compare it to a super yacht. The pool is surrounded by plush double day beds sunken into the shallows of the water, with a sultry wake sightline. On our sailing, this exuberant space was well-used by passengers and was a favorite spot onboard for daytime fun and relaxation.
Same-sex couples, families, couples in their 40s and 50s and plenty of the 60+ set, too. Zwin Nature Reserve is filled with coastal hiking trails, salt flats, wild dunes, and a vast lagoon. This rich landscape attracts an equally captivating array of wildlife, with around 350 bird species, including storks, nightingales and terns, plus butterflies, hares, rabbits and foxes.
Rooms on Explora I Are All Suites, Including Some of the Largest Entry-Level Suites at Sea
The seating area in many suites pulls out for accommodate a third passenger. In-room dining is available around the clock, and there's a complimentary minibar. Guests receive a bottle of Champagne and can also choose a bottle of spirits or wine for their room. Filled with art and books, the rooms welcome you with a posh king-sized bed, and all have outdoor terraces. Aft on Deck 14 is the Panorama Lounge & Bar (an outdoor venue with a Whirlpool/Jacuzzi and sunbathing areas with loungers) and the Sports Court (outdoor facility for playing basketball, volleyball, football, tennis).
If all of the rooms are filled at double occupancy, the ship can sail with 922 guests.
Because the brand is all-inclusive, the ship's five restaurants, access to parts of the spa, WiFi, alcohol, sodas, and coffee are included in the cost to travel. New luxury cruise line Explora Journeys just launched Explora I, a 461-suite ship. T+L's cruise editor was one of the first on board to report what you can expect. It’s one of the few luxury cruise lines that is catering to children, too, and there was a range of young travelers on our sailing, from babies to teens. Despite the ship's small size -- or perhaps because of it -- we found Explora I to be a very social environment.
Explora I is a chic ship and that extends to Ocean Wellness spa’s thermal area. It’s a well-designed spot, with subdued lighting and a feature glass-enclosed fireplace in the entrance. Facilities range from a Himalayan salt room to hydrotherapy pool and misty rainforest showers. The space is free to use for all passengers, though those paying for treatments take priority on sea days.
I watched a fantastic singer, Kerry Ellis, perform in the ship’s Journeys Lounge, which is the closest venue to a theater onboard. The show was packed out, but aside from that, The Lobby Bar emptied early and one evening a group of us visited the Malt Whisky Lounge around 11 p.m. To find the bartenders already clearing away (though another party also arrived shortly after us).
The illustrious Captain Serena Melani was seen throughout the ship, speaking with guests and ensuring everything was running smoothly outside of the bridge. Overall, the service was extremely personalized with 640 team members and a 1.25 to 1 guest to room host ratio. My room attendant offered thoughtful touches based on my behaviors, like providing extra water, sparkling and natural, after noticing that I regularly left the provided glass bottles empty and inquired what my favorite spirit was to customize the minibar. Explora I is the much-anticipated first cruise ship by Explora Journeys that debuted in August 2023.
Next up are Ocean Penthouses, which start at 753 square feet, followed by Ocean Residences, also starting at 753 square feet, but with the addition of butler service. The top suite is the single Owner’s Residence, which features plenty of extra perks and one of the best private terraces around. In fact, I’d never even heard of Stavanger until a few weeks before I arrived. But there I was one gunmetal day in August, pulling into port aboard the Explora I, a just-launched cruise ship from the new brand Explora Journeys.
Fil Rouge is the ship's French restaurant and the largest dining area onboard. The Med Yacht Club Restaurant is one restaurant that does not require reservations; the French restaurant Fil Rouge is the other. The menu is tapas inspired, and there's also a bar where you can sit, if you'd like to have snacks and a drink before having your main meal somewhere else. Provisioning even a small ship with luxury ingredients is a challenge, especially when you are seeking the best of the best, Garanger said -- the ship's olive oil comes from a small farm in Italy, the sushi rice comes from Japan and so on.
Travelers who are put off by the idea of a main dining room and buffet restaurant and instead like to feel they have the choice of upmarket restaurants will be in their element. There’s also a culinary school, the Chef’s Kitchen, where daily classes take place for an extra fee for those passengers that are keen to learn how to cook some of the dishes served onboard. And for those who see money as no object, Anthology could be a hit.
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