Explora for wine travelers: what is included, what is not, and which ship to sail.
Explora is one of the few luxury lines where drinking well at dinner every night costs nothing extra. But the full wine program lives on two specific ships. Here is the honest version, grounded in Explora's own inclusions.
The part most wine drinkers underestimate
On most luxury lines, drinking well is the line item that quietly inflates the bill. A good bottle at dinner, a glass before, a digestif after, every night for a week, and the folio at the end is a second fare. Explora removes that. The all-inclusive fare covers fine wines and champagne by the glass at every venue on the ship, plus premium spirits, specialty coffees, teas, and soft drinks, available anytime, including in your suite.
For someone who drinks well, that one fact changes the math more than any onboard perk. No running tab on wine, no calculating whether the second glass is worth it, no folio surprise. Your suite is stocked on arrival too: a welcome bottle of champagne, plus a bottle of wine and a bottle of spirit of your choosing. The included pour is the foundation of the whole offer, and it's the same across the fleet, on Explora I and II today and on every ship joining through 2028.
The Cellar: Explora III and IV only
The wine bar is where Explora gets specific about wine, and it's the single most important fact in this guide. The Cellar by Explora Journeys is a dedicated wine bar with Old World classics, New World favorites, and rare vintages, with Cellar Masters on the floor to talk you through the list. It's the kind of room a wine traveler actually wants. Someone behind the bar who knows the bottles and will pour you something you haven't had.
It is on Explora III and IV only. It is not on Explora I or II. By-the-glass pours run roughly 15 to 20 (Explora shows the figure in euro), and the rare and exceptional vintages are priced separately for purchase. So the included fine-wine pour covers your everyday drinking across the ship, and The Cellar is where you go to climb the list and try something specific. Explora III is now sailing, and Explora IV follows in 2027. If the wine bar is the reason you're sailing, those two ships are the whole conversation. The broader ship-choice read is in what changed now that Explora III has launched.
The Wine Curator: a consultation, with two conditions
The Wine Curator is the personal-service half of the program. A one-on-one consultation: someone who knows the list sits down with you and helps plan what you'll drink across the voyage, around your tastes and the dinners you've booked. For a wine-focused traveler it's one of the more useful tier benefits on the ship, because it's real attention from someone who knows the cellar, not a printed card.
Two conditions attach to it, and both matter. It's a benefit at the Ocean Residence tier and above, so a lower suite category doesn't include it. And it's on Explora III and IV only, the same two ships as The Cellar. Put plainly: the Wine Curator is for a guest booking an Ocean Residence (or higher) on III or IV. If that's you, it's worth the suite step. If you're in a lower category or on I or II, plan around the included pour and The Cellar instead, and I'll tell you which is the better value for how you drink.
The wine that costs extra
Honesty here is the whole point. The included pour is wide and the paid exceptions are narrow. Three things sit outside the fare:
- The reserve list: a small selection of rare bottles and harder-to-find spirits, sold by the glass or bottle, for when the included pour doesn't cover what you're after.
- Rare and exceptional vintages at The Cellar: on III and IV, the everyday glasses are part of the bar, but the genuinely rare bottles are priced separately for purchase.
- Anthology: the Italian fine-dining venue is a paid restaurant, with a tasting menu around 165 euro and an optional wine pairing. This is the one wine-paired dinner that isn't part of the included dining, and it's worth doing once on the right voyage.
One tier detail worth knowing if you drink seriously: Ocean Penthouse guests and above get an extra in-suite bottle on arrival, and Penthouse guests get savings on the private-cellar wine labels. Small, but real if you plan to buy off the reserve list.
How I would plan a wine-focused Explora trip
The decision tree is short. If wine is the reason you're booking, sail Explora III or IV, because that's where The Cellar and the Wine Curator live. If you want the Wine Curator specifically, book an Ocean Residence or higher on one of those two ships. If you're happy with the included fine-wine pour at every venue and don't need the wine bar, Explora I or II sailing today is the faster way aboard, and it's the same pour.
Send me your dates, the ships you're open to, and the suite tier you're considering. I'll pull live pricing for the configuration, tell you exactly what your tier includes on the wine side before you commit, and handle the Anthology and dining reservations so the wine-paired dinner is on the calendar before you sail. Booking through me costs the same as booking direct.
Questions people ask
Is wine actually included in the Explora fare?
Yes, and this is the part most wine drinkers underestimate. The all-inclusive fare covers fine wines and champagne by the glass at every venue, plus premium spirits, specialty coffees, and soft drinks, available anytime including in your suite. On arrival your suite has a welcome bottle of champagne plus a bottle of wine and a bottle of spirit of your choosing. So a guest who drinks well at dinner every night is not signing a bar tab at the end. What the fare does not cover is the small reserve list of rare and exceptional bottles, which are priced separately by the glass or bottle.
What is The Cellar, and which ships have it?
The Cellar is Explora's dedicated wine bar: Old World classics, New World favorites, and rare vintages, with Cellar Masters on the floor to talk through what you are drinking. It is on Explora III and IV only. It is not on Explora I or II. By-the-glass pours there run roughly 15 to 20 (shown in euro), with rare and exceptional vintages priced separately. If The Cellar is the reason you are booking, that decision alone tells you which ship to sail.
What is the Wine Curator, and do I qualify for it?
The Wine Curator is a one-on-one consultation: someone who knows the list sits down with you and helps you plan what to drink across the voyage. It is available at the Ocean Residence tier and above, and only on Explora III and IV. If you are sailing a lower suite category, or sailing Explora I or II, it is not part of your stay. For a wine-focused traveler willing to book an Ocean Residence on III or IV, it is one of the more genuinely useful tier benefits Explora offers.
Should a wine traveler sail Explora I and II, or choose III and IV?
If you want the full wine program, sail III or IV. The Cellar and the Wine Curator are on those two ships only. Explora III is now sailing and Explora IV follows in 2027. On Explora I and II you still get the all-inclusive fine-wine and champagne pour at every venue, which is the core value, plus the in-suite arrival bottles. You just do not get the wine bar or the consultation. Tell me your dates and how much the program matters to you and I will tell you honestly whether to book I or II or choose III or IV.
What wine experiences cost extra on Explora?
Three things sit outside the included pour. The reserve list of rare bottles and harder-to-find spirits, sold by the glass or bottle. The rare and exceptional vintages at The Cellar on III and IV. And Anthology, the Italian fine-dining venue, where the tasting menu is a paid menu (about 165 euro) and a wine pairing can be added. Everything else you drink across the ship, at dinner, at the bars, in your suite, is in the fare. I will walk you through exactly what is included at your suite tier before you book, so the extras are a choice and not a surprise.