I’ve talked about what I liked and what I didn’t like and also (gently) poked fun at some of my fellow passengers, but now is the time for the review of my 7-day journey on the Explora Journeys Explora I vessel in a “Premier Penthouse” suite.
Explora Journeys Explora I Review – Barbados > Miami In Premier Penthouse
Let me start with this: I travel the world using points and miles. When it comes to travel, I don’t like to open my wallet if I don’t have to. By using credit card points and frequent flyer miles smartly, I can avoid big payments for hotels and flight.
But this trip was different. This trip cost “real” money.
The 7-day cruise normally costs $3,600 per person for a base room, but during “wave” seasons (January – March) it was bookable for $2,520 each. And as you will read below, it was a great experience with my son Augustine…and something I will do again and take the whole family along. Maybe even my extended family…
If you take nothing else from this review, note that I put my money where my mouth is and I will do so again without hesitation. Explora Journeys was a great experience for someone more accustomed to fine hotels and first class flights using miles.
Boarding
After arriving in Barbados and stopping for coffee, we took a cab to the port where our ship would depart that evening. We could have boarded from noon on, but it was approaching 5:00 pm by the time we got onboard.
Our passports were scanned upon entry and we were issued room keys, similar to hotel room keys, that had our pictures. These were not only used to open our room, but scanned every time we got off and on the boat.
The first order of business was an extended safety briefing where evacuation routes were identified (we were also required to watch an extended safety video from our room later that day).
Premier Penthouse
The load factor was about 70% on the ship (there are only 461 suites onboard, all facing the ocean) and I was pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to a Premier Penthouse. Upgrades should not be expected, but it may help to book through a big-volume travel agent. I booked via Scott & Thomas Travel (not a paid endorsement, by the way), which sells a lot of rooms on Explora Journeys. My room was 9064.
Our room was spacious and such a pleasant place to hang out in, not just lay our heads down at night. The difference between our upgraded “Premier Penthouse” and a standard room was the sitting area, which included a large couch (which could transform into a bed, so this would be the room I’d take if I brought my whole family along) and a dining table for four. The bedroom was small but I liked that plugs were within reach and there was wireless charging on each nightstand. There was also copious amounts of personal storage for clothing (though my son and I traveled light) in both drawers and a walk-in closet.
The restroom was also luxe for a ship, with stone countertops and a large shower.
Our room also had a lovely balcony with a chaise lounge and another large round table.
All rooms come with a complimentary bottle of Champagne (Moet) and all rooms have a mini-bar that is included (and restocked daily, per your consumption).
There was even a fancy illy coffee machine in the room, though I never used it: the coffee from the café or any of the restaurants was excellent.
We didn’t end up watching anything, but TV system featured movies on demand.
Dining
This was the true test for me: would the food be just okay, or would it be excellent? In all honesty, it was not only great, but it vastly exceeded my expectations.
First, the dining concept onboard is all-inclusive, though there is one “premium” restaurant called Anthology that you can eat in (Italian). Traveling with 7-year-old Augustine, I saw absolutely no need to try it, but I would have taken my wife just for something special…even though the “free” restaurants were not just good, but great.
Two restaurants, Sakura (Pan-Asian) and Marble & Co. Grill (steakhouse) required reservations, but every guest onboard was guaranteed a seat at both restaurants at least once.
Let’s review each restaurant onboard.
Emporium Marketplace
There was no buffet on this ship, but this was about as close as it got. Emporium Marketplace offers cafeteria-style dining with food from all over the world. This was Augustine’s favorite restaurant (he’s a buffet kind of guy) and I liked that you could show up here when you wanted, find your own seat, and never had to worry about a reservation or set eating time.
Both indoor and outdoor seating was available:
The food was excellent…and the quality was excellent:
While most liquor was complimentary, “top-shelf” stuff was available for purchase:
Here’s a look at some of the dishes:
We enjoyed breakfast as well, with eggs made to order and excellent fresh-squeezed juices and smoothies.
Fil Rouge
French-inspired dining was available at Fil Rouge, open for breakfast and dinner.
Augustine and I ate breakfast here twice and dinner once. I liked breakfast because it was an a la carte alternative to Market Emporium.
Breakfast:
Dinner:
The dinner highlight was Augustine trying escargot for the first time!
Kudos to him for at least tryineg it.
Med Yacht Club
Next to Fil Rouge, Med Yacht Club is another restaurant that does not require a reservation (open for lunch and dinner). We ate here twice for dinner.
The tender lamb shank with risotto was so delicious I had to have it twice. Augustine had a delicious seafood appetizer (mussels, chorizo de Bellota Iberico, roasted tomatoes) and tired chicken one night and fish the other night.
Decadent desserts and coffee too:
Marble & Co. Grill
The onboard steakhouse offered a lovely selection of red meats in a New York steakhouse setting.
The specialty appetizer was crushed fingerling potatoes topped in caviar:
Everything was excellent from the tomato soup to the salad to the filet mignon to the lamb chops to the grilled porterhouse from Italy.
And dessert too:
We enjoyed eating here twice and I loved the ambiance and the food.
Sakura
Named after the cherry blossom, Sakura offers Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Malaysian flavors and is open for lunch and dinner. Menu here.
I had a reservation here on our last night, but Augustine begged me to eat in Marketplace Emporium so we ate there instead.
Room Service
24/7 room service was available (though breakfast was only available from 6:00 am to 10:30 am). We missed breakfast our first morning (my fault…I thought it went later) so we ordered lunch. The schwarama sandwiches were not memorable (too much bread and pita would have been much better than ciabatta) but the salmon was excellent.
Kudos to the crew for somehow serving the coffee hot with the foam not having dissolved into the espresso!
Speaking of drinks, let’s look at the options.
Bars & Lounges
Most alcohol was complimentary, though premium alcohol was available for purchase (think Dom, Krug…). All other drinks were complimentary.
Crema Café
I began my day every morning at Crema Café on level 5, the hotel coffee bar. The baristas were lovely and the coffee was excellent (despite the lack of fresh milk). Continental breakfast items and light snacks were available.
Gelateria & Creperie
Augustine’s favorite place on the ship was Gelateria & Creperie. Each afternoon we stopped for an ice cream break. The selections of gelato and sorbet rotated and there’s nothing quite like refreshing gelato on a warm afternoon.
My one gripe: this was only open from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Lobby Bar
The Lobby Bar is in the very center of the ship on the 4th floor; the focal point of the indoor common area. I had a Negroni here (with Beefeater’s) while Augustine was swimming.
Explora Lounge
Located on Deck 11, the Explora Lounge offers 270º views with:
- light meals
- snacks
- afternoon tea
- cocktails
- barista-made coffees
- loose leaf teas
- smoothies
- fresh pressed juices
Malt Whisky Bar
As the name implies, this bar specializes in whiskey, though I had a (mediocre) Mai Tai here. It’s located wihtin the Explora Lounge.
This bar also had a large indoor smoking section with cigars for sale. It was the only place where smoking was permitted onboard.
Astern Lounge
A large lounge on Deck 5 that was empty most of the day but had live entertainment (such as comedy shows) at night.
Astern Pool & Bar
Right outside the Astern Lounge is another bar overlooking one of the pools.
Journeys Lounge
Drinks and entertainment each night.
The Conservatory Pool & Bar
We spent most of our time around “The Conservatory” pool, which had a retractable roof (we did hit rain once) and also had a nice bar.
Sky Bar On 14
A panoramic outdoor bar on Deck 14.
Helios Pool & Bar
A pool and bar on Deck 12. Adults-only here.
Atoll Pool & Bar
A pool and bar on Deck 10.
Bottom line: the food and drink were excellent onboard.
And I’m happy to say that I did not overindulge even once. I largely skipped alcohol and never ate too much in one setting (though you can see how much I ate above).
Fitness
The ship was well-equipped with a 3,750-square-foot indoor gym featuring brand-new TechnoGym strength resistance and cardio equipment.
There was also an open-air portion of the gym with rowing machines and other cardio equipment plus a running track.
Finally, premium rooms were equipped with exercise equipment, though I did not even open my bag…I prefer to exercise in a gym.
Sport Courts
Augustine and I had fun shooting baskets at on the top deck on the basketball court, adjacet to a tennis/pickeball court.
Pools
Pools included three outdoor pools (one for adults only and all heated) and one indoor/door pool with a retractable roof.
Augustine swam every day at The Conservatory (which also included oversized jacuzzis) and enjoyed it very much.
Super Bowl LVIII was also screened here:
Wellness + Spa
Each day after my workout and each evening before dinner I would head to Deck 5 to utilize the wellness facilities, including a Finnish sauna, steam room, salt cave, heated marble lounge chairs.
On days without port stops, only passengers with spa treatments can use the wellness area between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, but even on the two days I had no treatment I was able to use the facilities early and late.
One afternoon I had a 60-minute Balinese massage which was excellent (Dirga, the spa therapist, was a pro).
I may be unique, but the wellness area was one of the key selling points for me on this cruise: it maters greatly.
Laundry
Each floor has a self-serve laundry (no coins…it’s included) or you can send your clothes out for laundering or dry cleaning.
Casino
There’s even a casino onboard if you want to lose some more money…
Kid’s Club
Augustine greatly enjoyed a couple hours each day in the Nautilus Club, the onboard Kid’s Club that had great activities for kids (arts, crafts, swimming, video games) and a great staff.
Rajla was amazing…she took such great care of Augustine.
Shore Excursions
The focus of this review is on the Explora I herself, but shore excursions (including transport between the ship and shore) were included.
I loved that if there was a wait for a back to the ship, you could also count on a covered waiting area, cold towels, and cold water.
You can read about my shore excursions here:
- We Got Taken For A Ride In St. Lucia…
- A Sunday Afternoon Stroll Through Deshaies, Guadeloupe
- Church And Merch In St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
- Great Coffee In Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
- Amazing: The Baths In Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Service
I cannot say enough good things about the service onboard, so let me sum it up this way: there was not a single bad interaction. That itself is pretty significant when you are on a ship for seven days! The cleaning staff was particularly unobtrusive: they never disturbed and the room was also perfectly clean.
Service was polished and professional, and many staff members even remembered by name (or in the café, my choice of coffee: a double shot flat white). Without another cruise to compare this to, it is easy to take this for granted…but I do not. It takes immense training to get the staff to the point in which they excel.
CONCLUSION
We landed in Miami around 6:00 am, an hour ahead of schedule, and were given four hours to leave the boat. It was a fairly orderly process, though the immigration lines were quite long.
Well, if you made it through over 300 pictures and 2,000 words, I commend you: thanks for reading this tome. I wanted this review of Explora I to be complete: to give you a solid idea in words and pictures of what to expect onboard.
Let me know if you have any questions.
If you need help planning or booking an Explora Journeys cruise, please reach out via the contact form above.
In April of this year (2024), I booked a very similar itinerary on Explora II for March 2025– San Jan to Miami, 7 nights, with similar ports of call. The “all-in” cost for a base cabin was around $7k, and this was during a sale period. I’m sure there are ways that skilled folks can get a better deal than I did. I am open to the possibility that I am wrong about this, but my suspicion is that most folks will not be able to get on this type of cruise for around $5k per couple, as your report seems to suggest.
My booking was for 2 adults, 2 children. If you take your 2 adult/2 child family on the trip, they may not let you put all four people in a single penthouse– they did not let us. We booked two adjoining regular rooms (not entirely base level, one or two levels up to get a specific location)– all in for the 4 of us in 2 standard adjoining cabins was about $15k. The two adjoining rooms actually works out to be a better deal financially and practically as well, as you get two bathrooms which is convenient, and helpful when getting ready for dinner. The kids room can be configured as two twins instead of a king which also helps since the kids are at the age where they prefer their own bed.
I am impressed and may look into their itineraries.
I enjoyed this series, and this was indeed a thorough review. I’m not sure I’m sold on cruising as an activity, but this certainly seems more civilized than a typical cruise.
I have to go back and answer your question in the other post, which I will do today.
I’m sold on this cruise line! Are you saying I should go through the travel company to book a cruise for this company?
The cruise and all of the pictures are amazing.. Would love to do this cruise if we could get it for a reasonable price.
Very comprehensive and useful review as usual. Thank you
Nice job, Matthew. We’ve been with Celebrity for years but are willing to ditch them and Explora might be a good alternative.
Two things. First, Augustine is a very lucky kid. Second, what is the dress code?
Matthew, how was the Wi-Fi? Were you able to stay connected?
Great job, Matt! I wasn’t aware of this cruise line until your post, but I’ll have to add them to my list now. Please do more cruise reviews!
Leaving for 7 days out of Miami and booked 16 days transatlantic on Explora… Avid cruisers, tired of the new age cruising and Explora fits that bill.
You’ll love it!