On board giant shipping line’s first foray into luxury cruising​on March 14, 2025 at 6:00 pm

Explora I carries a maximum of 922 guests, though we’re not at capacity on this cruise. It feels like a spacious motor yacht rather than a ship, especially as the luxury is intimate rather than grand.

Colour schemes are soft browns, neutrals and creams, with curvaceous contemporary furniture. There are spectacular staircases and gorgeous chandeliers and an illuminated two-storey Lobby Bar. But it’s rarely glitzy. The subtle design is a backdrop for the scenery outside. Who would want to compete with the Aegean anyway?

Still, if you like bling, and you’re looking to purchase a Rolex, you can skip the waiting list – Explora’s ships have the only Rolex boutiques at sea.

Entry-level suites have big, comfortable daybeds on their verandahs. Some top suites have Jacuzzis, and the Owner’s Suite has a plunge pool. I would have liked a desk in my suite, and with so many people bringing their work with them on holiday, this seems like a miss. But there’s a make-up table and stool in the wardrobe, which works at a pinch. And the ship is so spacious that I find working nooks all over the place, including quiet tables inside the Explora Lounge at the stern of the ship, with its all-day bar, and afternoon tea and canape service.

It’s all very serene. There are few children on this voyage, though the ship does offer the Nautilus kid’s club. There’s no usual scrum at the reception and excursion counter, but instead private consultations at booths. And unlike most cruises, there are few announcements to disturb “the ocean state of mind”.

The design, including bookshelves in the suites filled with a small selection of books you might actually read, makes it feel like a personal residence. And the service reflects this.

Staff are personable and proactive, more than I’ve noticed on other ships. When I go down to the Crema Cafe lounge for my morning coffee as it opens at 7am, Pritam has my exact order ready, every day.

Wellness is a big theme. I call it wellness by stealth. It infuses everything. There are daily meditations and yoga. My favourite spot is the salt room in the 2286-metre Ocean Wellness Spa, where I lie on a soft daybed, breathing in my daily dose of iodine.

There are five inclusive speciality restaurants and one that requires an additional fee. The ship offers a wide range of cuisines that strive to present authentic flavours. The pan-Asian restaurant Sakura is the standout for many (it is often booked out). In the evening, dishes include lobster pad Thai and soft-shell crab, but I discovered it was sometimes open for lunch, where the menu offered excellent Japanese bento boxes and sushi.

While the all-day restaurant Emporium Marketplace has a buffet and outside tables, most mornings I eat breakfast at the swish fine dining restaurant Le Fil Rouge, with its pale grey banquettes, silver service and delicious smoothies and muesli.

Healthy food choices are not listed extras but integral to menus. The quality of ingredients is exceptional. You won’t want for lobster or Wagyu beef. I found the food everywhere fresh, tasty and healthy, including daily ceviche. Meal sizes are small to medium, and the buffet is not self-serve, which helps portion control.

Of course, there is plenty that is sinful, including great wood-fired pizzas and wicked desserts, such as ice-cream sundaes and crepes by the resort-like Conservatory pool and bar, which has a retractable roof and private cabanas.

The ship has four saltwater heated pools and whirlpools perched on the edge of deck 12. The adults-only Helios horizon pool seemed a no-go unless you are anything other than tanned to deep mahogany.

This is one cruise where I’m happy to see the destinations from the ship, rather than contributing to the crowds on the islands down below.

Take Rhodes, for instance. It’s a nightmare. A huge German ship is in port and ferries from Athens and other islands arrive constantly. The town is packed with shops catering only to tourists, selling mostly the same paraphernalia. I don’t feel comfortable being part of this.

I buy a double ticket to the hushed Architectural Museum, which is a respite, and to the lofty castle and its gardens, which are lovely. I climb a hill and many steps to get to the living rooms of the castle, where the view out one window is entirely dominated by the big German ship. There’s no getting away from it.

Still, cruising on a small ship has advantages. Our next island, Amorgos, is sleepy and dreamy. We’re the only ship visiting today, so we have the village to ourselves. I walk the shore, wander streets spilling with bougainvillea, sit at a taverna on the waterfront for a while, imagine what it might be like to relocate here for a summer to write a book.

On Paros, I join one of Explora’s excursions, to Anezina Village in Drios, a rustic taverna and restaurant on the far side of the island, where we don aprons and headscarves and cook hearty Greek dishes poolside, under the shade of an enormous fig tree with Mary, our jovial host.

We learn how to roll dolmades, make filo pastry and form baklava into rolls, using a wooden stick. We also learn how to prepare fish. Among Explora’s guests are two surgeons, who ironically have problems dissecting the fish. Naturally, there’s a session of Zorba dancing in the end.

Explora doesn’t divert from other luxury cruises in that there are talks, popular activities such as trivia and musical entertainment. But the approach is a bit different. Entertainment is “refined”, which means there are productions in the clubby Astern Lounge, but the preference is for singing ensembles and individual performances rather than choreographed shows.

There’s also a gallery, showcasing Warhol and Lichtenstein prints during my cruise. The permanent collection on board has been personally chosen by the owner’s family.

For seven days, it feels like mine too.

The details

Cruise
Explora I has 461 oceanfront suites, penthouses and residences with private terrace. Cost is $7300 a person for six nights/seven days. Fares are all-inclusive, including drinks, Wi-Fi, gratuities and shuttles into port. Destination experiences at additional cost.

See explorajourneys.com

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Sustainability
Explora Journeys’ sustainability commitment includes the technology for future hybrid power generation, no single-use plastics, shore-to-ship power, advanced wastewater treatment and state-of-the-art recycling. Ships are RNI Dolphin-certified, ensuring low underwater emissions. Through the MSC Foundation, the company gives back to environmental causes.

Fly
Emirates operates seven flights a week between Athens and Dubai, connecting with several weekly flights from Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. See emirates.com

The writer was a guest of Explora Journeys.