There are no formal nights on Explora Journeys, so leave the tuxedo and the floor-length gown at home. Explora calls evenings resort-casual, dialed up a notch: a collared shirt and trousers, a sundress or a blouse and nice pants. Days are resort and deck wear. The single dressier room is Anthology, the one restaurant that carries an upcharge, and even there a jacket is optional. Pack for warm days, cooler evenings, and a fair amount of walking on uneven stone. That is the whole brief.
I have sailed EXPLORA I across several Mediterranean and Greek voyages, embarking in Venice, and the most common mistake I see is overpacking the eveningwear and underpacking the shoes. This is the Explora Journeys packing list I wish someone had handed me before my first Journey.
Do you need formal wear on Explora Journeys?
No. Explora’s own clothing guidance states plainly that there are no formal evenings onboard. No black-tie night, no gala, no captain’s dinner that requires a dinner jacket. This is one of the real differences from the lines this audience usually compares Explora to, and I wrote about it at length in the Explora Journeys dress code post.
What that resort-casual register means in practice, after dozens of dinners onboard: men wear a collared shirt with trousers or dark jeans. A blazer is welcome and never required. Women wear a dress, a skirt, or nice trousers with a top. You will see linen, you will see loafers, you will see the occasional sport coat. You will not see a tie unless someone wanted to wear one.
The dress code applies in the restaurants and indoor bars from 18:00. After 6 p.m. Explora asks guests to skip sleeveless tees, caps, sportswear, and beach footwear in those spaces. During the day there is no dress code at all. Cover-up to lunch, swimsuit to the pool, deck shoes wherever.
What should men pack for evenings?
For a 7-night Journey, here is what actually earns its place in the bag:
- Two to three pairs of trousers (one dark, one lighter, chinos count) plus a pair of dark jeans
- Four to five collared shirts, a mix of long and short sleeve
- One blazer or unstructured sport coat. You will wear it two or three nights and be glad you brought it, especially in Anthology
- One pair of leather loafers or clean dress sneakers for evenings
- A knit or light sweater for the over-air-conditioned rooms and breezy deck dinners
That is genuinely enough. I have never once wished I had brought a tie. I have several times wished I had brought a second light sweater.
What should women pack for evenings?
The same logic, more options:
- Three to four dinner outfits: sundresses, a midi, nice trousers with a few tops you can mix
- One slightly dressier piece for Anthology or a milestone dinner, still nothing floor-length
- A wrap, pashmina, or light cardigan. The single most useful evening item on a ship, between the air conditioning and the open decks after sunset
- Comfortable evening flats or low block heels. Stilettos and ship decking are not friends
- Simple jewelry. There is no occasion onboard that calls for anything you would worry about
The pattern across both lists: bring fewer dressy pieces than you think, and bring one good layer.
What shoes do you actually need for shore days?
This is where most people get it wrong, so I will be specific. The Mediterranean and Greek ports Explora calls on are old. The streets are cobblestone, marble worn smooth by centuries, stairs, and steep grades. Some ports are tender ports, meaning you step from a small boat onto a dock or platform, sometimes with a bit of movement underfoot.
Pack:
- One pair of broken-in walking shoes or sneakers with real grip. Not new. Broken in
- One pair of sandals with a proper sole and a back strap. Flimsy flip-flops will punish you on cobblestones and are useless on a wet tender platform
- Optional: a second comfortable shoe so one pair can dry out if a tender or a sudden squall gets them wet
If you only bring one pair of shoes ashore, make it the grippy walking pair. I have watched more than one guest turn an ankle on Santorini’s stairs in the wrong footwear. For more on how the shore days actually run, the tendering, the timing, the difference between Explora’s own excursions and going it alone, see the shore excursions guide.
What about layers for cooler or northern ports?
Depends entirely on where and when you are sailing, so check the actual forecast for your ports the week before you go rather than trusting a season.
For Mediterranean spring and fall, expect roughly 60 to 75°F by day with noticeably cooler evenings once the sun drops. A light sweater and a packable jacket cover it. High summer in the Med runs hot, and you will live in lighter fabrics.
Norway, the Baltic, and the British Isles are a different conversation. Even in summer those itineraries can sit in the 40s and 50s with wind and rain. For those, pack:
- A genuinely waterproof shell, not water-resistant
- Warmer mid-layers, a real sweater or fleece
- A scarf, a hat, and gloves for the deck and the colder excursions
- Waterproof walking shoes
The ship is warm and the suites are climate-controlled, so the layers are for ashore and for standing on deck through a fjord at 8 a.m. That is one of the best parts of those Journeys and you will want to be out there comfortably.
What do you need for the pool and spa?
Two swimsuits at minimum, because one is always drying. A cover-up for moving between the pool deck, lunch, and your suite.
The thermal spa is included for every guest, with set access hours, which is unusual and worth using. That covers the thalassotherapy pool, sauna, steam room, salt room, and the experience showers. Bring a swimsuit you are happy to relax in for an hour. The suite stocks robes and slippers, so you do not need to pack those. You can read the full list of what comes standard on the inclusions page.
If you are a serious sun person, bring your own reef-safe sunscreen in the SPF and formula you like. It is the one toiletry I would not leave to chance.
What should you NOT pack?
This is the half of the list people skip, and it is where the suitcase gets lighter. The suite or the fare already provides most of it.
Leave home:
- Formal wear. No tux, no gown, no cocktail dress that needs an occasion. Covered above, but it bears repeating because it is the single biggest space saver
- A tie, unless wearing one makes you happy
- Toiletries beyond your personal essentials. Suites stock full-size Mandala Blue products, so you do not need to bring shampoo, conditioner, or body wash
- A robe and slippers. Provided in-suite
- A hair dryer. Provided
- A travel mug or water bottle. The suite includes a refillable bottle, and drinks across the ship are included in your fare, so there is no reason to ration
- Cash for tips. Gratuities are included in your Explora fare. There is no daily auto-gratuity charged to your account and no envelopes at the end. You can tip extra for exceptional service if you want to, but nobody is expecting it and nothing about the experience nudges you toward it
- A power strip’s worth of adapters beyond one or two. Confirm your ship’s outlets before you go, but you do not need a bagful
The throughline: Explora’s fare is genuinely inclusive, the drinks, the Wi-Fi, the spa, the gratuities, so a lot of what you would normally pad a cruise bag with is already handled. If you are still weighing whether that inclusiveness adds up for the way you travel, I worked through the math in is Explora Journeys worth it.
What do most people forget?
After enough Journeys, the same small things come up:
- A second layer for evenings. The decks get breezy after dark and the dining rooms run cool
- Real walking shoes, broken in. The shore days are the trip, and bad shoes ruin them
- Your own sunscreen. SPF and formula you trust
- A small daypack for shore excursions: water, a layer, sunscreen, your phone, a hat
- Any prescription you cannot easily replace abroad, in its original packaging, in your carry-on
- Motion-comfort items if you are sensitive. EXPLORA I is large and stable and I have had calm crossings, but the open sea is the open sea, and bringing your preferred remedy costs nothing
Pack for warm days, cool evenings, and a lot of beautiful walking. Bring one good jacket, the right shoes, and far less eveningwear than instinct tells you. That is the whole trick.
If you want a packing list built around your specific itinerary and season, send me your dates and the ports you are calling on. I will tell you what those particular days actually demand.
Questions people ask
Do you need a tuxedo or formal wear on Explora Journeys? No. Explora Journeys has no formal evenings. There is no black-tie night, gala, or captain’s dinner that requires a dinner jacket or gown. Evenings are resort-casual with a touch more polish after dark: a collared shirt with trousers for men, a dress or nice trousers and a top for women. A blazer is welcome but never required, even in the dressier Anthology restaurant.
How many outfits should I pack for a 7-night Explora cruise? Fewer than you think. For a 7-night Journey, plan on roughly four to five dinner outfits you can mix and rotate, plus daytime resort and deck wear, swimwear, and shore-day clothes. Because there are no formal nights, you do not need a separate gala outfit. One blazer for men or one slightly dressier piece for women covers the nicest evenings, including the Anthology restaurant.
Do you tip on Explora Journeys? No tipping is required. Gratuities are included in the Explora fare. There is no daily auto-gratuity charged to your onboard account and no tipping envelopes at the end of the voyage. You may tip extra for exceptional service if you wish, but it is genuinely optional and nothing about the experience pressures you to.
What shoes should I pack for Mediterranean shore days? Bring one pair of broken-in walking shoes or sneakers with real grip, and one pair of sandals with a proper sole and a back strap. Mediterranean and Greek ports are full of cobblestone, worn marble, stairs, and steep grades, and several are tender ports where you board a small boat to reach shore. Flimsy flip-flops are uncomfortable on stone and unsafe on a wet tender platform.
What toiletries are provided in the suite? Explora suites stock full-size Mandala Blue toiletries, along with a robe, slippers, and a hair dryer. You do not need to pack shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a robe, or a dryer. Bring only your personal essentials and any specific products you prefer, such as your own sunscreen in the SPF and formula you like.
What should I pack for a northern Europe or Norway itinerary? Pack warmer than you would for the Mediterranean. Norway, the Baltic, and the British Isles can sit in the 40s and 50s Fahrenheit with wind and rain even in summer. Bring a genuinely waterproof shell, warm mid-layers like a sweater or fleece, a scarf, hat, and gloves, and waterproof walking shoes. Always check the actual forecast for your specific ports the week before you sail rather than trusting the season.
— Justin