Corey44 Posted July 7 #1 Share Posted July 7 Hello everyone- just recently found the cruisecritic website and am amazed at the amount of information. Thought I'd ask the experts for some advice on booking an Explora cruise, as many people on here seem to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful! Background if it's helpful: My wife and I, mid to late 50s, have traveled extensively, but have never cruised before. Honestly, it never seemed attractive to me because I picture crowds of people and germ-filled dining rooms. I know that's not accurate, but nonetheless that's what oftentimes comes to mind when i see advertisements for those huge ships. And i understand why some people love them, but it's just not me. We don't "live large", but when we travel, we find it worthwhile to pay extra for nice accomodations (think Four Seasons, Peninsula, etc), and premium classes on airlines if it's a long flight. That being said, our idea of a perfect night on vacation might be sitting at Schooner Wharf in Key West with flip flops and a tee shirt listening to an acoustic guitar with a draft beer. Hopefully that gives you some insight into what we like? So I started researching cruises as i've got a milestone birthday coming up and my wife is wanting to "take me" on a trip to celebrate lol! I was ready to book on Celebrity Ascent in a celebrity suite, as the retreat deck looks nice (we like the sun) and the suite looked new and spacious. However, the itinerary that was available for our dates in November were awful. I started researching more "luxury lines", but they seemed to miss the mark for us, with what appeared to be limited outside spaces for dining on the ships, and limited pool areas. I had never even heard of Explora ships, but it popped up when I was trying to get on the Oceania website. Explora seems very attractive to us because it's a new ship, it has lots of sundecks with seemingly lots of chairs available (less chair hogs?), and great food but in a more casual atmosphere (the idea of putting on a suit or jacked for dinner in the Carribean honestly seems crazy to me). I found a 7 day itinerary from Barbados to Miami this November on Explora II, which i've been reading on these boards just finished sea trials but has been postponed for some time as far as its inaugural cruise. My questions are: From my description, do you experts who have sailed on multiple cruiselines on tons of cruises think Explora might be a good "first ship" for us? Any recommendations for a "better fit"? Do you think it's safe to book the explora II in November? Will the kinks of the new ship be ironed out by then? I imagine we would spend a lot of time on our balcony.....the entry staterooms look very nice, but the balconies appear very narrow (width-wise....side to side, even the "grand terrace".) For lots of balcony time, perhaps a penthouse would be better?......do all the penthouses have the same basic balcony width? (I can't fully tell from the website......the indoor "dining table" etc in the penthouses don't really matter, its the size of the balcony that would make a difference for us). And on Celebrity website, you could see a map of the whole ship, and pick which suite you wanted......I can't seem to find that on the Explora website? Lastly, I always book my own vacations. The only time I don't is when I do all the research, and then call my virtuoso agent to actually do the exact booking I found in order to get the extra amenities. However, I don't think my usual virtuoso agent is up to date with Explora. Does anyone have someone they would recommend for a TA to book this? It looks like tomorrow (July 8th) is the last day for a promotion, so hoping to take advantage of that! Or should I just book on the website myself? Thanks in advance for any advice/input!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrivateIdaho Posted July 7 #2 Share Posted July 7 21 minutes ago, Corey44 said: I found a 7 day itinerary from Barbados to Miami this November on Explora II, which i've been reading on these boards just finished sea trials but has been postponed for some time as far as its inaugural cruise. We are booked on a similar EJll cruise for Dec. This will be our 4th EJ cruise. Low key, relaxed, no crowds, all inclusive, lovely suites with balconies, nice pools, well equipped gym, great bars, beautiful decor, wonderful coffee, helpful staff and the best food and restaurants at sea. If you can find an itinerary you like, book it! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misssmb Posted July 7 #3 Share Posted July 7 I can’t answer all your questions, but we are your age group, love your key west vibe and are onboard Explorer 1 right now! We did carnival many years ago when our kids were small and over the last 5 years have sailed Oceania 3 times. We only like the small ships now and are loving this so far! It is a very chill vibe with incredible food and service! My husband only wears casual Tommy bahama slacks and a fun collared polo type to dinner so no fancy fancy if you know what I mean. We haven’t tried the buffet yet for dinner but my understanding is nice dress shorts with the same type of top would work fine. We are in a lower class room and honestly it’s the size of a penthouse on Oceania. Drinks are unlimited and the food and service so far are soooo good! Also, I usually book on my own as well but I was able to get $300 on board credit through a travel agent. I did book my own air though. As far as the evening vibe, we have been bouncing around watching some great entertainers example singing at the piano, a show with a few performers, and last night we actually went to the silent disco which was a hoot. All I can say is…I’m sad it is day 3 already because I know I will not want to get off and will be planning my next one as soon as I get off! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Cruising Posted July 7 #4 Share Posted July 7 We’ve not her been on Explora, tho’ we have a cruise booked for April, but we have done a lot of cruises with Azamara and you might want to look at them as well, possibly in. Club Continent Suite as they have bigger balconies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike@sea Posted July 7 #5 Share Posted July 7 (edited) I think you will quite enjoy a 7 night cruise on Explora, and given the fact that you have enjoyed hotel stays at Four Seasons and alike, I guess you also feel comfortable to drop the idea of flip flops and shorts around dinner time, unless you stay on your balcony of course or do not intend to enter the restaurants. People do dress up in a chic casual way for dinner and you do occasionally even see men in jackets and almost always many women in beautiful dresses at night. It just fits the situation you will find yourself in at dinner time. The ship is very elegant and so are most cruisers without being too formal or overdressed. So keep that in mind maybe. As far as the suite goes, and your desire for a bigger balcony, you might want to look at any suite on deck 6 aft or front, where the balcony extends, or deck 7 front, where the balcony extends. Or any real aft suite, which would either be one deluxe PH on deck 7 or any of the aft residences decks 6, 7, 8, 9. You might want to check the way the sun shines in November, just to be sure you are not in the shade the whole time, unless that is what you prefer. There are a few chair hogs. Hard to believe in that price category, but true. Manners do not come with money. 😉 Edited July 7 by mike@sea 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Waltershipman Posted July 7 #6 Share Posted July 7 3 minutes ago, mike@sea said: I think you will quite enjoy a 7 night cruise on Explora, and given the fact that you have enjoyed hotel stays at Four Seasons and alike, I guess you also feel comfortable to drop the idea of flip flops and shorts around dinner time, unless you stay on your balcony of course or do not intend to enter the restaurants. People do dress up in a chic casual way for dinner and you do occasionally even see men in jackets and almost always many women in beautiful dresses at night. It just fits the situation you will find yourself in at dinner time. The ship is very elegant and so are most cruisers without being too formal or overdressed. So keep that in mind maybe. As far as the suite goes, and your desire for a bigger balcony, you might want to look at any suite on deck 6 aft or front, where the balcony extends, or deck 7 front, where the balcony extends. Or any real aft suite, which would either be one deluxe PH on deck 7 or any of the aft residences decks 6, 7, 8, 9. You might want to check the way the sun shines in November, just to be sure, you are not in the shade the whole time, unless that is what you prefer. There are a few chair hogs. Hard to believe in that price category, but true. Manners do not come with money. 😉 While evening dress leans on the casual side I felt better dressed nicer at night more like an evening out on land in USA at a nice upscale restaurant 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey44 Posted July 7 Author #7 Share Posted July 7 Yes of course…. Didn’t mean to insinuate I’d wear flip flops and tee to dinner! We are always appropriate for the venue….. but casual chic fits our vibe much better! Thank you for the cabin suggestions….. is there a way to see exactly which cabins are available? The website didn’t seem to make that easy….. only seemed to be assgning me a specific cabin. Thank you all for your responses! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJB416 Posted July 7 #8 Share Posted July 7 I think Explora is a great fit for all the same reasons as Private Idaho states. I am on Explora II in October and we just hope there are no more delays, but I think November should be okay. I was on one of the first sailings on Explora I and we loved it, kinks and all. We are not allowed to give travel agent referrals on this site, so I’d google luxury cruise travel agents and see what kind of OBC and incentives you can get. Mine is offering a $500 OBC signature credit right now and added it to my fare even though it wasn’t available at the time I booked it. I also do all of the leg work, book the cruise myself and then email Explora to transfer the booking my agent after the fact. In the Caribbean, I think TB pants and a collared shirt in the island vibe would be fine. It’s definitely a more upscale casual vibe for the dress and I tend to dress up and my husband wears long sleeves and slacks, but no jackets necessary. Just look sharp and not sloppy. I wouldn’t wear thongs with slacks outside of the emporium buffet though. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJB416 Posted July 7 #9 Share Posted July 7 Make a dummy booking, putting your name, email dob, phone and then add the 2nd passenger’s info and you can then click on the cabin category you want and it will show what’s available in that category. You can go back to change the category and then see the availability in that category and so on…..It’s a very time consuming way to see cabin availability. You can also call Explora tomorrow and they will tell you what cabins are available and perhaps give more insight into the best deck option. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longboard55 Posted July 7 #10 Share Posted July 7 Waiting for my first Explora, but I was like you at one time, really did not like cruises at all. But my experiences were west coast cruises to Mexican ports where you are either at sea or at a less than desirable location. What changed where the ports, we cruise now to visit different places we would probably never see without a cruise. Pick an itinerary with places you want to see.Enjoy exploring during the day and back to the ship for drinks and a nice meal. You learn Airport free travel is much more relaxing. Most locations are one and dones, but a few are in the we would love to back there again category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnocket Posted July 7 #11 Share Posted July 7 Another option for someone who is looking for an uncrowded, laid-back cruising experience is one of the very small ship lines. Think Windstar and Atlas, which both have ship capacities of less than 200 people. The atmosphere onboard is very relaxing, with excellent service and good food, while remaining fairly informal. It's a very different experience than the typical "small ships" (e.g. if at full capacity, Explora can carry 5X as many passengers). Just something to consider🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Sthrngary Posted July 7 #12 Share Posted July 7 6 hours ago, Corey44 said: Hello everyone- just recently found the cruisecritic website and am amazed at the amount of information. Thought I'd ask the experts for some advice on booking an Explora cruise, as many people on here seem to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful! Background if it's helpful: My wife and I, mid to late 50s, have traveled extensively, but have never cruised before. Honestly, it never seemed attractive to me because I picture crowds of people and germ-filled dining rooms. I know that's not accurate, but nonetheless that's what oftentimes comes to mind when i see advertisements for those huge ships. And i understand why some people love them, but it's just not me. We don't "live large", but when we travel, we find it worthwhile to pay extra for nice accomodations (think Four Seasons, Peninsula, etc), and premium classes on airlines if it's a long flight. That being said, our idea of a perfect night on vacation might be sitting at Schooner Wharf in Key West with flip flops and a tee shirt listening to an acoustic guitar with a draft beer. Hopefully that gives you some insight into what we like? So I started researching cruises as i've got a milestone birthday coming up and my wife is wanting to "take me" on a trip to celebrate lol! I was ready to book on Celebrity Ascent in a celebrity suite, as the retreat deck looks nice (we like the sun) and the suite looked new and spacious. However, the itinerary that was available for our dates in November were awful. I started researching more "luxury lines", but they seemed to miss the mark for us, with what appeared to be limited outside spaces for dining on the ships, and limited pool areas. I had never even heard of Explora ships, but it popped up when I was trying to get on the Oceania website. Explora seems very attractive to us because it's a new ship, it has lots of sundecks with seemingly lots of chairs available (less chair hogs?), and great food but in a more casual atmosphere (the idea of putting on a suit or jacked for dinner in the Carribean honestly seems crazy to me). I found a 7 day itinerary from Barbados to Miami this November on Explora II, which i've been reading on these boards just finished sea trials but has been postponed for some time as far as its inaugural cruise. My questions are: From my description, do you experts who have sailed on multiple cruiselines on tons of cruises think Explora might be a good "first ship" for us? Any recommendations for a "better fit"? Do you think it's safe to book the explora II in November? Will the kinks of the new ship be ironed out by then? I imagine we would spend a lot of time on our balcony.....the entry staterooms look very nice, but the balconies appear very narrow (width-wise....side to side, even the "grand terrace".) For lots of balcony time, perhaps a penthouse would be better?......do all the penthouses have the same basic balcony width? (I can't fully tell from the website......the indoor "dining table" etc in the penthouses don't really matter, its the size of the balcony that would make a difference for us). And on Celebrity website, you could see a map of the whole ship, and pick which suite you wanted......I can't seem to find that on the Explora website? Lastly, I always book my own vacations. The only time I don't is when I do all the research, and then call my virtuoso agent to actually do the exact booking I found in order to get the extra amenities. However, I don't think my usual virtuoso agent is up to date with Explora. Does anyone have someone they would recommend for a TA to book this? It looks like tomorrow (July 8th) is the last day for a promotion, so hoping to take advantage of that! Or should I just book on the website myself? Thanks in advance for any advice/input!!! @Corey44 Welcome to CruiseCritic.com. First thing to know, everyone is an expert on CruiseCritic.com. An expert on what they like personally. Allow me to address some of the topics you are asking about: 1) It is agents the rules of CruiseCritic.com to give you the name of a Travel Agent. So don't expect that to happen or the post where it is given will be deleted. I can suggest you stay clear of the Agents on Social Media like YouTube. 2) I have cruised most all Main Stream Cruise brands at least once. Some multiple times usually in the Big Ship's, VIP section called a "Ship-Within-A-Ship". I loved this for a while until I tried, a smaller ship under the category of Luxury/Ultra-Luxury. I cruised Crystal Cruises, Oceania Cruises and now Explora Journey in February 2025. 3) Why I liked Explora Journey and choose a 7 day Caribbean cruise? Explora is attempting and the key word is attempting to be a luxury cruise ship experience. They are owned by MSC who has one of those VIP sections called the Yacht Club. They do a nice job but the ships are huge and some don't like the way it feels like classes similar to airfare classes. The other choices like Explora Journey treat everyone the same when you leave your stateroom which means to me, and only me, less class differentiation. 4) I have had the largest stateroom on NCL called the Owners Suite. I have had the second largest Stateroom on Oceania called a Vista Suite, I had the second largest stateroom on Crystal Cruises. My choose for Explora was OT-2. Which is the entry level as you are looking at. The other staterooms are indeed larger, with slightly larger balcony's but after researching them and comparing value; I like the entry level just fine. Your cabin is always nice, this entry level is a mid-level with other brands. Consider your first cruise, a "Luxury Cruise Test Drive". That is what I am doing. Seems like a good idea. 5) The key to your future cruise(s) is something I call "Realistic Expectations". Cruise influencers have a habit to saying everything is over the top great. Folks that play around on cruise social media tend to be highly critical or simply don't post. Some are realistic but takes some time to see what kind of poster they are. Myself included. If you read cruise marketing like, "Best Food on the Sea", or "Changing what Luxury Cruising Looks like". Remember, in the cruise industry, the Marketing Department Over Promise and greatly under deliver. Your best place to learn is from those that have actually cruised that brand. "I am not one of those for Explora but that is why I booked Explora". I figure, the growing pains they were having the first year will be resolved when you and I both cruise. So far so good. I hope my thoughts and the other on the stream help you. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrivateIdaho Posted July 7 #13 Share Posted July 7 (edited) We enjoyed our Atlas cruise in the Med. You really get to know your fellow passengers. Food was good, but not EJ level and there is really not much entertainment. Which was fine on a port heavy cruise. EJ and Atlas are different experiences. Edited July 7 by PrivateIdaho Punctuation 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey44 Posted July 7 Author #14 Share Posted July 7 Thank you so much all who have responded! Indeed, while everyone’s personal opinions will differ, each response is helpful! I will be booking first thing in the morning….. with realistic expectations. I have travelled enough to know nothing is perfect, but at the same time am very excited to try something new. Thanks again, and I will try to post an objective review of our trip in the future with the hopes that it will be helpful to someone else! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Dr. Cocktail Posted July 8 #15 Share Posted July 8 (edited) 41 minutes ago, Corey44 said: Thank you so much all who have responded! Indeed, while everyone’s personal opinions will differ, each response is helpful! I will be booking first thing in the morning….. with realistic expectations. I have travelled enough to know nothing is perfect, but at the same time am very excited to try something new. Thanks again, and I will try to post an objective review of our trip in the future with the hopes that it will be helpful to someone else! I'm late to this party! As a certified (certifiable?) Explora booster, you will have a great time! We sailed twice this past year and have three more booked. It is a work in progress but already in fine form. The food is great and your fellow passengers also interesting and easy to talk to. We generally wore chino's and a polo or button down to dinner and there was no problem. Shorts and T's into the Emporium. Enjoy! ps .... there is no better fit from how you describe yourselves! Edited July 8 by Dr. Cocktail 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saminina Posted July 8 #16 Share Posted July 8 11 hours ago, mike@sea said: You might want to check the way the sun shines in November, just to be sure you are not in the shade the whole time, unless that is what you prefer. A key piece of advice. Once on board, it's normally too late to correct. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Stickman1990 Posted July 8 #17 Share Posted July 8 @Corey44 My advice - use a good TA who knows Explora Journeys and can offer advice and incentives to you to book via them You raise some great questions all oc which an experienced TA could assist you with and save you some angst down the track You really won’t regret it 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Sthrngary Posted July 8 #18 Share Posted July 8 2 hours ago, Stickman1990 said: @Corey44 My advice - use a good TA who knows Explora Journeys and can offer advice and incentives to you to book via them You raise some great questions all oc which an experienced TA could assist you with and save you some angst down the track You really won’t regret it @Stickman1990 Your advice to the author is sound, logical, and strategic. The challenge is the brand is to new to rate, the brand is finding their sea legs, and the agents also are going through some learning curves. Even though I personally use an agent, I do my own due diligence first then tell the agent what I want, why I want it and often times date, stateroom, and exact cost. My approach especially on a new brand is based on the majority of the agents out there having to be experts on so many brands, changes in amenities, itineraries and the list goes on. To much even for them to have in their mind so they simply have favorites that they are most used to booking. Not what most of us want with the detailed advice we need to make a valid business decision. Once a cruiser has a foundation of what they want, why I want it, where I want to go and how they want to get there; the agent can be so much more helpful. Yet, the decision is still ours and we need to start the research on my own or else trust an agent that knows me, but does not really know me. It used to be cruising was one of the least expensive vacation options to see the world. If you made a bad decision, it would cost you but it was not all that huge of a financial and time blunder. Just a lesson in life. Then, cost and all aspects of a cruise changed. The more we research on our own, the better the fit of the cruise we end up with. Agents are time limited, commission sales people and we are and should be very specific, detailed on our wants/needs which takes time. Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Stickman1990 Posted July 8 #19 Share Posted July 8 2 hours ago, Sthrngary said: The more we research on our own, the better the fit of the cruise we end up with. Agents are time limited, commission sales people and we are and should be very specific, detailed on our wants/needs which takes time. A good TA focussed on luxury cruises is someone you are able to trust - and who gets to know you A good agent will get to know you and your preferences. Mine who I’ve dealt with now for 12 years has cruised a lot more than I have and on the type of lines I’m likely to consider. They’ve successfully steered me onto and off a number of lines over the years as they know what we like Many agents have sailed Explora under their programme of introducing agents to the new brand - now whether I’d trust them all with giving me advice is another matter But having sailed Explora I’m now in a position where I can make my own call on them - and as we really enjoyed our time onboard last year we’ve booked another couple of cruises with them in 2025 Yes there may be some who are time limited and commission focused but I doubt they are the sort you or I would be happy with 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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