EXPLORA I

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