First Impressions – Explora Journeys Explora I Review

Travelling as a family of 4, we were booked into an Ocean Residence with Explora Journeys, so that we had additional space in the living room for our kids [8 and 11]. All 22 Ocean Residences come with a range of benefits, including your very own outdoor whirlpool and butler servicing from your Residence Host. We also found embarkation to be an absolute breeze, whisked onboard to complete check in from the comfort of our cabin in a matter of minutes.

Embarkation onto Explora Journeys Explora I

Explora Journeys Check in

Upon check in we were greeted by lovely welcome amenities, personal letters and bottle of Champagne. Previously they used to offer vintage Champagne as a welcome gift, including 2013 Dom Perignon, but this amenity was short lived and has reverted back to the standard house Champagne [Mercier NV]. We would love to see Explora find a middle ground and include an elevated welcome champange for such high end cabins.

The Residence onboard Explora 1

Explora Journeys Accommodation and Suites

Of the 4 Ocean Residence categories, we chose the expansive Serenity Residence for the wrap around balcony and balance of overall space and pricing. The Cocoon residence is very similar but even more spacious (and more expensive), with both featuring the same whirlpool and outdoor Technogym bench. We opted for deck 7, over the slightly larger deck 9 Residences which are situated directly under the Atoll Pool and Bar.

The Residence onboard Explora 1

We were fortunate enough to be able to tour the Cove and Retreat Residences whilst onboard. The Cove is a great option for 2 or 3 people, with a nice sized but relatively standard balcony. The Retreat is absolutely massive, with a 2nd guest bathroom [WC] and fantastic internal space. However, where it shines on internal space it lacks in the balcony department, being located Forward there is only a very small terrace and you are also positioned directly above the anchors which can be deployed in the early morning hours.

Explora I – Retreat Cabin

Residence Cabin Highlights

Private Whirlpool

The whirlpool is a fantastic addition as it’s effectively like a spa-bath, your host can fill it with bubble bath or you can fill it on demand at any time relatively quickly as they aren’t overly deep. It’s great to be able to control the temperature and not have to swim in chlorinated water sometimes. Having a sailaway drink whilst enjoying the stunning vistas from your own whirlpool was truly a dream come true for us.

Private Whirlpool on our balcony of the Explora I

Minibar and Coffee Station

Overall the furnishings are luxurious, with a comfortable chaise lounge, dining table and bar in the main living area. The mini bar is restocked daily by your Residence Host and also includes a very fancy, Illy coffee machine which feels like a step up from standard pod coffee. These use paper coffee pods with ground coffee in them which produce a great espresso coffee. Of course it’s not a long walk to the Crema Cafe on Deck 5 if you prefer steamed milk coffee variations.

Explora I – Coffee Station in The Residence

Bathroom

The bathroom is a touch tight for a cabin of this size, with just a single vanity. But the shower is excellent and there’s plenty of storage, with wall to wall marble elevating the look and feel in line with the luxurious surrounds from stern to bow. The walk-in rob is generous with plenty of hanging space and draws for a family of 4 to be able to completely unpack 4 large suitcases for a 2 week cruise. There are limited storage space options for the suitcases once they are empty, should you wish to hang long trousers in the closet as well but we tucked them in the main living room adjacent to the dining table which didn’t bother us during the cruise.

Explora I – Residence Bathroom

Living Areas

Travelling with kids, we were relieved that Explora included a rollaway bed in the living room to accompany the sofa bed. The sofa bed mattress is not especially deep, fine for one young child but if we had had 2 kids sharing we’d likely have heard some grumbles from the older one. Both the rollaway and sofa were packed up in the morning whilst we were at breakfast and set up whilst we were at dinner, with perfect execution for 14 nights in a row.

Within the Residence, the controls are largely digital with electric blinds and lighting. The only bother was a night light sensor under the side tables in the bedroom which would shine when it detected movement. The Samsung 4K TVs were excellent and featured a huge range of free movies, plenty to keep the kids occupied during some down time along with a range of TV stations. We were pleased to see a cable sports channel to keep up with Wimbledon, the Euros and The Open whilst we were travelling. In fact, Explora even played several major sporting events on the jumbo screen by the Conservatory Pool and the Euro final was also played in the Astern Lounge on Deck 5, with around 60 attendees passionately following along as England were sadly defeated by the Spanish team.

Explora I – The Residence Living Room

Poolside Wimbledon onboard the Explora I

Bedroom

The main bedroom features a plush, King sized bed which was very comfortable and featured wonderful luxury linens. The curtains can be controlled electronically from the bedside to reveal both Port and Stern views with dual access to the terrace which includes several comfortable seating options from pool lounges, to a small couch and dining chairs. There is a low coffee table that seems to be a big large for the space and is a tad awkward to maneuver around.

Personal Butler

We never had to ask or remind our lovely Residence Host, Stanley, who provided the best butler service we have had the pleasure of experiencing on a cruise ship.

Each day when we returned from being off the ship we were greeted by a range of appreciated snacks from fancy nibbles to simple fruit, nuts and even bowls of crisps. Stanley seemed to notice we often left the more fancy finger food, especially with the kids in tow, and increasingly kept things simple for us which we appreciated. Once we asked for sparkling water after a day out and about, and then every day thereafter we had cold sparkling water with slices of lemon & lime ready in the mini-bar fridge. It’s that anticipation of needs that truly delivers on the luxury promises with an air of effortlessness to everything onboard. Whilst we didn’t bother Stanley too often, he would regularly check in and really ensure there was absolutely nothing that we wanted. One morning we ordered room service breakfast due to an early start on a day trip, and it arrived and was set up exactly when we asked for it.

Snacks left in our suite by our amazing Butler

Fitness Onboard

We enjoyed using the Technogym bench for some light workouts on the terrace of our suite, which sits adjacent to the outdoor shower. There is also a Technogym Case kit included in both Penthouse and Residence category suites, which provides a yoga mat, some exercise bands and a foam roller. These are very welcome whilst travelling for extended periods, but of course there is the Onboard fitness centre which provides 350sqm of indoor and outdoor fitness facilities, again decked out from head to toe with Technogym equipment.

Explora I – Fitness Centre

We used these extensively and overall they provided excellent cardio equipment and free daily classes from yoga to pilates and strength classes. The free weights were somewhat limited, but there’s plenty to get in a decent onboard workout…we would just wish they added a cable machine or some additional weight lifting equipment along with opening the gym a little earlier.

Explora I – Fitness Centre

Explora I – Fitness Centre

Explora I – Fitness Centre

The earliest you can use the gym is sadly 0630 when they open for the day, we’re still not sure why they don’t let you access with your room key card. Thanks to the low number of guests onboard relative to most cruise ships and the space provided, there was never an issue getting space for a bench or preferred workout machine. Don’t forget to bring your included reusable water bottle to the gym, although if you ask they do have a few paper cups behind the desk should you forget as we did a couple of times.

Explora I – Fitness Centre, Running Track

If you’re a runner there is also a 360 degree running track on deck 12 for a few short laps around the ship, but we noticed most preferred the air conditioned comfort of the Fitness Centre on Deck 10. There is also the obligatory sports court on deck 12, which is setup for pickleball, basketball and, on occasion, cornhole.

Explora I – Fitness Centre, Pickle Ball Court

This area is also used by the Nautilus Club team for afternoon activities. The Nautilus Club is a cozy area designed for independent youth travelers to utilise, from ages 6-14 primarily catered for. There is a foosball table, pool table and 3 large TVs with various gaming consoles and VR machines to keep kids entertained. This is a fantastic inclusion for a luxury cruise line, given the primary competitors in this space don’t cater to kids with such a space.

Travelling with Children

The Nautilus Club seems to be the perfect inclusion for independent children and parents who want to have an option for a kids club/hang out space for a while, whilst still wanting to spend some time with their kids on their holiday [typically by a pool or on excursions]. This isn’t really a ‘dump and run’ all day program. There were plenty of children on our cruise, around 50 out of 500 guests, with many multi-generation families onboard [however, this cruise was over the peak of the holidays in mid July so that is to be expected].

Explora I – Nautilus Club

The children onboard tended to be more around the 7-15yr range, very well behaved and, seemingly, well traveled. There is no kids menu onboard, but the Emporium marketplace has fantastic pizza, pasta, sushi and more with many customisable options. Furthermore, every restaurant was able to cater for our kids with some workaround options. Whether it was bringing a pizza down from another area, to a custom pesto pasta [which our son loved!], bespoke salads and more, the crew were extremely accommodating. After a few days we were told we could always order fish and chips or nuggets and fries at any venue even though they didn’t advertise it, although we had been too bashful to ask in the days prior.

WiFi Onboard Explora I

One of the greatest features on the cruise is included WiFi for up to 3 devices per traveler at any one time, more than ample and the connection was stable and high speed. It was hands-down the best WiFi we’ve had at sea thanks to the Starlink service, and we had no drop outs or dead spots throughout the ship.

Onboard the Explora I

Laundry Services

On top of this, all Residences enjoy complimentary and unlimited laundry. Going on a cruise for 14 nights this was extremely welcome and we sent a bag of laundry about every other day. Stanley, our Residence Host, was again very accommodating and didn’t stress on the few occasions we left a bag out slightly after 9am. With clean and pressed laundry returned to us before the evening.

Sunset views from the Explora I

Staff

On the embarkation day, he was again gracious about pressing some of our clothes for the welcome cocktail party provided by Explora for Residence Guests. This was a small and intimate event but a nice way to meet several officers onboard, who were extremely welcoming throughout the cruise and after a few days we were addressed by name by many of the staff as we were continually amazed at how they remembered who we were.

The amazing staff on board the Explora I

It really did make you feel like a VIP and valued guest, along with having genuine interactions with the polished crew members and officers. Upon discussion we learnt that most had come from long term contracts with Silverseas, so the service was particularly good but in a relaxed and approachable manner which underpinned the entire offering.

Explora I – The Dessert Cart

Final Impression of Explora Journeys Explora I

Explora Journeys – Explora I

Overall we had an absolutely fabulous holiday and are already booked on another Explora Journeys itinerary for 2025. Take a look at our latest Explora Journeys Deals here or speak to one of our cruise specialists to book your next cruise today.