The best Black Friday sale I’ve seen is from Explora Journeys with 20-50% off nearly every sailing for the next 18 months. Think: The Four Seasons at sea and from $300/night.
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What Is Explora Journeys
Explora Journeys is like a five-star resort at sea. The company offers luxury cruises and ocean journeys but really is nothing like any other cruise line. Every restaurant is a specialty restaurant, the cuisine is excellent, and there are very few items that incur additional charges. I have personally sailed with Explora and it’s beyond incredible but to keep it simple, I will bullet point the critical pieces:
- Two Michelin-starred chef-created menu and sails onboard for execution (Anthology.)
- Culinary experience, paired with fine wines and premium spirits is the only food upcharge (€85/person)
- (4) Other high-end restaurants including;
- Marble & Co. Steakhouse
- Fil Rouge (French)
- Med Yacht Club (Mediterranean)
- Sakura (Asian Fusion)
- Marketplace Emporium
- Faster service but there’s no buffet onboard
- Gelateria
- Crema (coffee shop)
- (6-8) Bars onboard including Malt Whiskey Room with a walk-in humidor
- (4) pools, one large with a retractable roof; whirlpools throughout
- Access to the Spa Thermal Area
- Complimentary steam room
- Complimentary sauna
- Complimentary salt room
- Complimentary jacuzzi
- Massage and Beauty Salon for additional charges
- Every berth is a balcony suite with a walk-in closet, Dyson hair dryer, heated marble bathroom floors, and full shower or shower over tub
- Suite welcome bottle of champagne ranging from Veuve Clicquot (Yellow) to Dom Perignon depending on the suite
- Unlimited beverages
- Choice upon arrival of a bottle of spirits in-suite
- Starlink Wi-Fi throughout the ship
- Coffee, teas, and soft drinks available anytime including in-suite mini-bar
- All food and drink including in-suite dining and premium alcohol
- Fitness programmes onboard, including “TechnoGym” in penthouses and above
It’s a small ship (maximum 900 passengers, 461 total suites), with a high crew-to-guest ratio (1.25 passengers to 1 crew member) and the thing that really makes them unique is that they can fit into smaller destinations like Guadeloupe, and St Bart’s, which are only available by tender. Explora also focuses on one-way journeys which means they can get further in shorter amounts of time because they don’t have to return to their departure port.
It really is the height of all-inclusive luxury travel that happens to be at sea.
The Exclusive Sale
Explora has never discounted its product and says it never will, however, they have offered The Exclusive Sale beginning on Thanksgiving and running through December 4th, 2023. Just as premium resorts like the Four-Seasons don’t run Black Friday sales, Explora doesn’t intend to do so again, but they have offered this one because it’s still the brand’s first year and they still need to increase awareness of the product in a way that Four Seasons and the Ritz-Carlton do not. Sailings are available up to June of 2025 and include the not-yet-completed Explora II ship, set to sail in August of 2024.
Here are the details:
- Ocean Terrace Suites are the only category on offer (lead-in, all-balcony berth)
- Inside of 120 days to sailing becomes non-refundable
- Client changes to the reservations may remove the discount
- Not combinable with other offers
It seems like a lot of restrictions but comparatively, it’s not different from most Black Friday hotel and resort offers, or airline fares.
Key Sailings
Explora Journeys sails just about everywhere including the Mediterranean in the summers, the Caribbean in the winter, the US West Coast and Latin America in the spring, and the northern European region in the fall. With the addition of Explora II next year, it will add a number of Middle East and African sailings too.
Here are some of my favorites from the list:
- Miami-Colon (8 nights) 2/16/2024 2/24/2024 Lost Cities and UNESCO Treasures on Colombia’s Coast 40% (from $2,460 pp, double occupancy)
- Colon-Bridgetown (6 nights) 2/24/2024 3/1/2024 A Journey to Southern Charms and European Flavours 40% ($1,860 pp, based on double occupancy)
- Vancouver-Los Angeles (6 nights) 5/6/2024 5/12/2024 A Journey Tracing North America’s Pacific Shores 50% ($1,925 pp, based on double occupancy)
- Miami-Barcelona (19 nights) 5/31/2024 6/19/2024 A Transatlantic Journey from Miami to Moroccan Fantasies 40% ($6,090 pp, based on double occupancy)
- Venice (Marghera)-Athens (Piraeus) (7 nights) 7/12/2024 7/19/2024 A Journey from Marco Polo’s Venice to Athens 30% ($3,675 pp, based on double occupancy)
- Athens (Piraeus)-Athens (Piraeus) (8 nights) 10/14/2024 10/22/2024 A Journey to Alexandria, Haifa and Rhodes 50% ($2,775 pp, based on double occupancy)
And then, of course, the sailing I am taking in February:
- Bridgetown-Miami (7 nights) 2/9/2024 2/16/2024 A Journey to Butterfly Islands and Sea Stars 30% ($2,660 pp, based on double occupancy)
Conclusion
Ocean travel isn’t for everyone, but if you haven’t taken a fresh look at Explora Journeys you really should. The level of service, the quality of food and beverage, the inclusions, the destinations, it’s all delivered to the highest standard. I’m a fan of the product and I have a review coming soon, my agency is a Preferred Partner and we’d be happy to help you find the right sailing including a €150 pp Experience Credit. But whether you contact us or not, I haven’t met a single person who’s tried the product and not loved it.
What do you think? Have you looked at Explora Journeys? Are you booking any of these sailings?
I’d be a whole lot more in to cruising if all ships had Starlink. I can work from anywhere, and transoceanic cruises become VERY attractive if I know I can stay connected. I’m too poor to go on an Explora cruise, but I love that they have Starlink connectivity. That will be a game changer in the future when other lines adopt it.
I don’t see any dates for June 2025. Am I doing something wrong?