First Look at Explora I, the New Luxury Ship From Explora Journeys

Table Of Content

• Specifications of MSC Explora 1
• My cabin looked more like a sizable and efficiently designed hotel room than a cruise ship stateroom.
• Decks and cabins
• But in terms of their products, this is where the similarities between MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys end.
• MSC Explora 1 current position
• This first Explora I only just set sail in August 2023. Explora II will hit the seas in the summer of 2024.

The double-height Lobby Bar in the center of the ship, located on decks 4 and 5, evokes a sumptuous grand city hotel. I adored this statement-making lounge for its decadence and glamor. It’s contemporary and light, with an elegant long bar, glowing backdrop of rows of luxury spirits and a shiny Steinway grand piano. The space features a neutral color palette with peach marble coffee tables spaced between cube chairs and sofas.

Specifications of MSC Explora 1

All SERENITY RESIDENCES receive as a welcome gift a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne (Vintage). All RETREAT RESIDENCES receive as a welcome gift a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne (Vintage). All COVE RESIDENCES receive as a welcome gift a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne (Vintage). The inaugural season of the 922-guest vessel is scheduled to spend its inaugural season offering itineraries in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. In the final stages of construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the new Explora II is set to enter service on August 11, 2024.

My cabin looked more like a sizable and efficiently designed hotel room than a cruise ship stateroom.

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Butler services packing and unpacking, pressing and laundering assistance, room service, itinerary and land transportation planning, special event planning, reservations assistance (onboard and ashore). MSC Explora I staterooms (461 total) are all outside, balconied and in Suite categories (advertised as OCEAN FRONT SUITES). Each cabin is fitted with floor-ceiling windows slide-opening to a step-out balcony. Cabin sizes start at 35 m2 (375 ft2), making the accommodations some of the biggest in the luxury ship travel industry. The seating area in many suites pulls out for accommodate a third passenger.

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Decks and cabins

Facilities range from a Himalayan salt room to hydrotherapy pool and misty rainforest showers. The space is free to use for all passengers, though those paying for treatments take priority on sea days. Each Explora ship has a total of 82 interconnecting staterooms (designed for families with children) in three categories - Ocean Suite, Ocean Penthouse, and Ocean Residence.

The most notable of which is Anthology, which brings in guest chefs to create a quarterly tasting menu. During my journey, Michelin three-starred Ristorante Uliassi, located in Ancona, Italy, created an 8-course menu focusing on Adriatic seafood—the pasta with an infusion of fig leaves was exceptional. However, each dining establishment I tried left me satisfied, including the surprisingly excellent all-day dining venue Emporium Marketplace, which had made-to-order wood-fired pizza and an indulgent raw bar. The house champagne is Moet & Chandon Imperial, options like Nikka Whiskey and Johnnie Walker are included at the Malt Whiskey Bar, and the wine list offers hard-to-find bottles at a surprisingly fair price point.

Luckily, Explora I has the Conservatory Pool, a lovely space with a retractable glass top so people were able to have pool time despite the chilly weather. This is the only pool onboard that has outdoor dining, as you can order bento boxes from Sakura, the ship's Asian fusion restaurant. The infinity edge Astern pool perhaps drew the most oohs and aahs. The loungers throughout Explora I are more posh and plush than I've seen on any other luxury ship -- you melt right into them. I could only imagine the selfies that you'd take from the pool as the ship sailed into Positano or St. Barths (one hardy couple stuck it out for chilly San Francisco). Explora Journeys is owned by the Aponte family, who intended the ship's vibe to encompass the luxury they feel on their own yacht and personal vacations.

MSC Explora 1 current position

The cost is not far off the price of the chef’s land-based restaurant, which sets diners back € , excluding wine. Foodies might appreciate the opportunity to taste Uliassi’s cuisine, without needing to schlep to Senigallia on the Adriatic coast. Right now, the three-Michelin-star Italian chef Mauro Uliassi of Restaurante Uliassi, Italy, is at the helm.

For whatever reason, this spot picks up a lot of wind and it’s shaded, too, making it feel dark and underwhelming, wedged between crew utility areas and the front of the ship. Deck 5’s Astern Pool & Bar is another show piece, just on a smaller scale. This glamorous wake infinity pool wouldn’t be out of place in Bali, Cabo or Mykonos -- though you will likely hear Explora Journeys compare it to a super yacht. The pool is surrounded by plush double day beds sunken into the shallows of the water, with a sultry wake sightline.

Instead of Veuve Clicquot, guests in the higher-end suites receive a bottle of Dom Perignon Vintage 2013. In September, I had an overnight on the new Oceania Cruises' Vista ship, which quickly topped my list of best cruise staterooms I've ever stayed in. Explora I will sail Northern Europe, as well as New England and Eastern Canada this summer and fall, before continuing south to the Caribbean.

The lines are meant to attract two different audiences, we were told. But they are usually crowded, with pieces by Thomas Kinkade, Peter Max and other mass-market artists. From the moment you enter Explora I's lobby, you get the sense that the design of this ship is decidedly different. With modern Italian furnishings and the sheer glamor of the illuminated two-story bar, the lobby feels like a place to see and be seen.

A well-equipped spa has several treatment rooms, plus all sorts of amenities such as a sauna, hydrotherapy pool, Himalayan salt cave, and a salon. A fitness center — bustling at most hours throughout my trip — is stocked with the latest Technogym gear. Explora I is the first big ship with a dedicated outdoor fitness area, too, on deck 14, where one afternoon a group of go-getters were busting it through a boot camp — though they just as easily could’ve been playing pickleball on the outdoor court nearby. The tasting-menu venue Anthology is the most ambitious, with menus designed by culinary superstars who commit to three-month rotations aboard the ship.

We loved the approach that the line took to a traditional Broadway show, opting to fill the stage with faux candles and a singer with an excellent voice. Garanger said the line brings in special flour for its homemade pizzas. Baguettes and bread are made twice a day, as opposed to once, so all the baked goods are fresh. The Atoll Pool was also inviting, with the same posh loungers, most in the water so you could dip your feet. That shift in the music heard onboard, from standards to more Generation X favorites, is deliberate.

Citing delayed delivery (due to supply chain issues affecting the Fincantieri shipyard), MSC canceled 12x voyages (including 10x Mediterranean). In July 2023, the ship's delivery was delayed (CruiseMinus) and the Maiden Voyage was rescheduled for August 1st. MSC opened bookings for Explora Journeys (Explora 1's inaugural cruise season/2023) in January 2022.