EXPLORA I

We step aboard EXPLORA I – the lead ship of the luxury spin-off from ocean-going stalwart MSC – and discover why discerning travellers are willing to pay a premium for passage on this super-yacht-like vessel where ocean travel is reimagined through space, serenity and a more refined vision of modern luxury cruising.

It’s easy to see why both seasoned ocean explorers and those new to ‘cruising’ are drawn to EXPLORA I. Even if you’ve long considered yourself immune to the cruise conversation. This is not the floating high-rise theatre of old cruise lore, nor the anonymous mega-blocks that dominate ports; she arrives instead like a superyacht that’s been gently scaled up rather than industrially multiplied – sleek, tiered, quietly confident in her blue-and-white lines.

There’s also a more earnest ambition at work beneath the polish. Environmentally supportive technology is not an afterthought, but part of the ship’s narrative, underscored by her “dolphin certified” status – a designation that speaks less to marketing gloss than to genuinely reduced underwater noise and environmental impact. It’s a small detail that, rather tellingly, lands with a soft “aww”.

The interior architecture and design, deck upon deck, are best in class, blending elements of Swiss precision, contemporary European artisanal flair and universally exquisite comfort. EXPLORA I’s public spaces are beautiful and considerately appointed.

Our ‘Home at Sea’ on this particular journey, was a Premium Penthouse, which outscaled some of the hotel rooms we’ve had the pleasure of staying in. No portholes here, every home has a balcony with floor-to-ceiling windows and a sea view. There are no inside rooms. Our penthouse was generous at 61sqm (655sqft) and is considered ‘mid-level’ category accommodation: ‘suites’ are entry-level, then ‘penthouses’, then ‘residences’ at the top tier.

The Residences offer the best size, design, appointment and elegance, with private whirlpool baths on their balconies. All homes are packed full of high-end facilities and amenities: Frette linen and bathrobes, Dyson Airblades, in-room Technogym, signature house ‘Mandala Blue’ toiletries, fresh flowers, a boudoir-style walk-in-wardrobe/dressing room and a shiny Italian marble bathroom. It prompted us to think that no stone was left unturned, or unpolished even. It’s particularly true as our (long-suffering) Cabin Steward picked up after us so fastidiously and frequently, even though we barely saw them. But whenever we left and returned, they had reset the room immaculately, even if we were just away for a split second.

Dining, as you might expect, is one of the ship’s strongest features. Six restaurants, twelve lounges, a chef’s table and in-suite dining form the backbone of the experience, but it’s the range that impressed us more than the count. Emporium Marketplace felt closest to a gastronomic playground, with its multiple cooking stations and Eataly-style energy, while elsewhere we moved between a French dining room, a pan-Asian concept, a steakhouse with Nordic cues, and a Mediterranean club that leaned into the fantasy of harbourside ease. Not every reference landed perfectly, but the ambition was clear: variety without dilution.

Service, too, reflected a deliberate recalibration of cruise hierarchy. With a crew-to-guest ratio of 1.25:1 and a team drawn from nearly 60 nationalities, the atmosphere was notably more relaxed than typical traditional luxury cruising. On EXPLORA I, a large proportion of front-of-house staff are new to ships entirely, recruited from high-end land-based hospitality – an approach that shifts the tone from institutional formality to something far more conversational. “Hosts,” as they’re called, are encouraged to engage rather than simply execute, and the result was service that felt less choreographed, more human. There’s a refreshing openness in how many of them spoke about being onboard – an undercurrent of goodwill that felt unusually unforced.

EXPLORA I is indulgent. There is no point pretending otherwise. But what distinguishes her is not restraint, nor even excess, but the attempt to reframe what an experience at sea might mean now: slower, more spacious, more intellectually and physically attentive than the cruise stereotypes would suggest. Whether that redefinition holds over time is another question, as there are plans for one new Explora ship will debut every year – but for now, she makes a persuasive case that ocean travel can still be reimagined, not by abandoning luxury, but by recalibrating its terms.

www.explorajourneys.com

Photography courtesy of Explora Journeys

While you’re OutThere

On board EXPLORA I, there’s a noticeable attempt at cultural intelligence rather than generic entertainment programming. Yes, there are the familiar cruise tropes – revue-style performances, champagne tastings, sunset photography workshops, deck yoga – but they sit alongside more considered enrichment: wellness journeys, speaker-led sessions that actually invite attention, and social programming that acknowledges solo travellers, teetotallers and LGBTQ+ guests.