EXPLORA I

Venice to Athens August 2025

August

Pros: Food, spacious cabins, the Explora team, the late night port departures, spacious ship that felt uncrowded

Cons: Brindisi- not a great port.

Recommended: No

This was my very first time sailing with Explora, and I was truly impressed. The ship strikes the perfect balance of elegant luxury with a laid-back, welcoming vibe. Every single crew member went above and beyond to make sure we were having the best experience possible. The food? Absolutely excellent. The Marketplace offered a wide variety of fresh, flavorful options, and every meal felt like a treat. Our Ocean Terrace suite was spacious, spotless, and designed for comfort—the walk-in closet/vanity area and walk-in shower were so well thought out. It felt more like staying in a high-end hotel than being on a ship. What stood out most was how uncrowded the ship felt. Even on a sea day, we never had to search for a lounge chair or a dining table, and dinner reservations were easy to get. We rarely even shared an elevator with anyone, and there were no waits for boarding tenders—it all felt effortless. The entertainment was classy, polished, and had the feel of Broadway productions—such a refreshing change from the typical cruise shows. I would highly recommend Explora Journeys to anyone who wants the refined luxury of a high-end vacation without the feel of formal cruising. It’s an experience that makes you feel relaxed, cared for, and completely indulged.

Fabulous experience

May

Pros: Everything was great

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

The ship is amazing and the staff is top notch!!!

Stunning Sailing on Explora I in the Western Caribbean

March

Pros: Service, Decor, Passenger to Crew Ratio, Spa, Pools, Spacious Cabins

Cons: Itineraries need work, certain ports should be reconsidered, Lectures, Demonstrations, and Classes should be offered

Recommended: No

A Week of Bliss on Explora I

February

Pros: Food, Service, Ambience, Decor, Climate, Attitude,Staff

Cons: Shipboard activities a bit sparse at times but I'm trying hard to find something less than complimentary to say.

Recommended: Yes

Exceeded all of our expectations. But know what you're getting - High end cruising, smaller ship (900pax capacity) that was only 2/3 full, unfailingly eager to please staff, very, very, very few kids clientele skews 65+. We went fore the shipboard experience and not the destination islands and were not disappointed. This is a cruise line for those looking to get away from it all and be pampered and do as little as possible.

Great Ship and Staff

January

Pros: Staff friendly and very helpful. Beautiful decor throughout the ship. Not crowded at public spaces. Entertainment excellent.

Cons: Some specialty restaurants just OK. Steak house was great.

Recommended: Yes

Disembarkation process was very organized. Buffet was better than expected. Staff was wonderful. Would not repeat the itinerary but definitely repeat Explora.

Beautiful Ship!

January

Pros: Nice size ship with excellent service and food.

Cons: Lacked enrichment speakers

Recommended: No

Caribbean cruise

January

Pros: everything was fantastic

Cons: no sports bar

Recommended: Yes

loved the Explora One and the cruise, food and service were beyond expectations. The staff was fantastic, completely service oriented. They could not do enough to assist you. Kumar who served as at Sakhura was fantastic and made it a great experience. There was also a female who served us on 1/16 at Anthology who was fabulous. I believe she was Philipino. Our room attendant Gabriel was also excellent The only suggestion would be to have an area where sporting events can be watched by a group. There were 12 of us from Buffalo and we wanted to watch the playoff game. Initially we were told it could only be shown in our rooms. At the last minute they arranged to show it in the chef's Kitchen which could accomodate us all. Would it be possible to put TVs into one lounge that could show sporting events.

Mediterranean cruise RT Barcelona

November

Pros: Great food and drink

Cons: Entertainment average

Recommended: Yes

Very nice ship and cabins. Service was excellent.

Our cruise

October

Pros: As close to perfect as you can get

Cons: None

Recommended: Yes

We are veteran luxury cruisers....Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, Crystal. This was, by far, the best one yet.

Athens to Athens, 14 nights, September 2024

September

Pros: New ship, Upscale interior, Well designed staterooms, Large veranda, King bed, Good food and selection, Good selection of different food venues available, Overall excellent service in stateroom restaurants and around the ship.

Cons: Dinner reservations start at 18:30, some earlier options would be nice. May be unavoidable but some docking berths were in ugly heavy industrial areas, especially Venice.

Recommended: Yes

Based on our one cruise experience Explora provided very good service and good value for the cost.

West coast trip

April

Pros: High end room, friendly crew, all enclusive

Cons: No store to buy souvenirs or small sundry items. Prices in Euros,

Recommended: Yes

Ship geared toward Europeans. Prices in Euros, meters, 24 hour clock etc. Only buffet eating or big dining rooms (which we couldn’t get into) nothing in between like a coffee shop with waiters. Food was good but not a lot of variety. No where on ship to get a snack if the buffet was closed. Lack of reasonably priced excursions. Lack of good entertainment at night and activities on sea days

explora review

April

Pros: lovely ship and crew was so hard working.

Cons: chairs are low, dyson blow dryer pain to use and put away, wine list is poor, black napkins would be nice when wearing black,grab bar shhould be at the entrance of shower, chairs are low

Recommended: Yes

lovely lovely experience. Would have like to skip night in San Fran and maybe stopped in Seattle

West coast trip

April

Pros: High end room, friendly crew, all enclusive

Cons: No store to buy souvenirs or small sundry items. Prices in Euros,

Recommended: Yes

Ship geared toward Europeans. Prices in Euros, meters, 24 hour clock etc. Only buffet eating or big dining rooms (which we couldn’t get into) nothing in between like a coffee shop with waiters. Food was good but not a lot of variety. No where on ship to get a snack if the buffet was closed. Lack of reasonably priced excursions. Lack of good entertainment at night and activities on sea days

First time cruiser

April

Pros: Service, personnel, ship

Cons: Whirlpools could stay open later

Recommended: Yes

I had no idea what to expect on a cruise and I was so pleasently surprised. Everyone was wonderful and the food was amazing!

First time cruiser

April

Pros: Service, personnel, ship

Cons: Whirlpools could stay open later

Recommended: Yes

I had no idea what to expect on a cruise and I was so pleasently surprised. Everyone was wonderful and the food was amazing!

Explora 1 - Barbados - Panama City

March

Pros: Dining was superb, crew were extremely accommodating and friendly, lecture series was impressive, Entertainment director was very engaging.

Cons: Slippery deck near pool area, more activities onboard needed.

Recommended: No

The cabins were very well appointed and housekeeping was exceptional. The bedding was very comfortable with Frette linens and well-appointed comforts of home. I thought the entertainment to be unique onboard and varied and different from some of the other cruise lines that have more of a Las Vegas type of entertainment with singing and dancing. The shore excursions were well organized and a good value and gave a good overview of the destinations.

February

Pros: The ship is well appointed, beautifully decorated in every corner of the ship and the service, entertainment and food were top drawer

Cons: Although the shore excursions were wonderful, they were pricey and there could have been more variety, i.e. simple, shorter city tours.

Recommended: No

Explora I, MSC's new luxury ocean cruise line and first of six, has an elegant, modern decor throughout and with the 5 restaurants, excellent servers and first-rate performers, eight days aboard this ship went way too quickly! All restaurants were amazing, but Sakura was my favorite as I am still dreaming about the miso-glazed black cod and kiwi pavlova. We also enjoyed the luxury brand stores, but the staff at Cartier created a unique afternoon pairing wine and watches. We loved it so much we bought a Tank watch after the presentation by their dream team Cartier reps Rupesh & Scott and Jay, the sommelier. This was a really fun memory. Explora's tour guides are professional, knowledgeable and fun. In particular, we loved Cartagena, but the guide matched the destination with his vibrant and colorful personality. We were luck to have him for both of our days in Cartagena (2 days in each port was great for immersion). Each night, the entertainment blew us away. The level of talent is very impressive and we couldn't wait until the nest performance. Overall, Explora's new cruise line is a cut above the rest and we are so fortunate to have such wonderful memories while exploring Colombia and Panama.

Magnificent Inaugural Caribbean Sailing

November

Pros: like sailing on a large yacht, 4 beautiful pool areas -3 with eternity pools, outstanding food & service

Cons: need more shade area in pool areas, wines/liquors included were limited in selection, Shipboard credits should be applied to cost of excursions when booked in advance, more info in advance about excursions, bathrooms need to be larger, especially in the upper category cabins.

Recommended: No