When did Explora I launch?

Explora I launched in 2023 as the first ship in the Explora Journeys fleet. Its godmother is the oceanographer Sylvia Earle.

How big is Explora I?

Explora I has 461 suites, all with private oceanfront terraces, carrying up to 922 guests with a guest-to-host ratio of about 1.25 to 1. It has roughly 16,600 sqm (about 178,680 sq ft) of public space, 5 pools, nine culinary venues, and 12 bars and lounges, served by 14 lifts (8 for guests).

Is Explora I or Explora II better?

They are essentially the same ship: identical suite roster, the same venues, the same layout. Explora I is the original and has the longest service record; Explora II (2024) is the newer sister and is often priced slightly more keenly for the same product. For most buyers the decision comes down to itinerary and date, not the ship.

Ship · Explora Journeys

Explora I: the ship that started the line.

Explora I launched in 2023 and set the template for the brand: an all-suite, all-oceanfront ship with a calm, design-led atmosphere. It's the most-sailed and most-reviewed ship in the fleet, and it's the one I've sailed myself, with my family, across more than one voyage. So most of what follows is first-hand, not a spec sheet.

I've sailed Explora I with my family across more than one voyage, starting in an entry-level Ocean Terrace Suite that did not feel entry-level. What follows separates what I saw aboard from what I'm reading off a spec sheet. Ship and inclusion specs are from Explora Journeys' published materials; the photography here is Explora's.

An Explora Journeys ship seen from above, sailing the Aegean off Paros, Greece — Explora at sea off Paros. Photo: Explora Journeys.

The essentials

Launched: 2023, the first ship in the fleet
Suites: 461, all with private oceanfront terraces (10 with accessibility features)
Public space: roughly 16,600 sqm (about 178,680 sq ft), served by 14 lifts (8 for guests)
Guests: up to 922, at a guest-to-host ratio of about 1.25 to 1
Pools: 5 pools and 5 whirlpools, including the retractable-glass-roof Conservatory Pool
Dining: nine culinary venues plus bars, lounges, and 24-hour in-suite dining
Godmother: Sylvia Earle, the oceanographer, fitting for a brand that leans on its "ocean state of mind" identity

What it's like

Explora I is spacious and unhurried, and that held up across a three-generation group that usually finds something to complain about. Because every accommodation is a suite with a terrace, there's no sense of a hierarchy of rooms, and the public rooms rarely felt full for the guest count. The part that surprised me most was the service: not the polish so much as the anticipation, with staff quietly helping the older members of our group to their plates without it ever becoming a moment. The design is contemporary rather than the gilded-cruise-ship look, closer to a design hotel. The food is a genuine strength. Sakura, the Japanese room, was delicious and has some of the best design on the ship, and the steakhouse, Marble & Co., is included where most luxury lines charge for it. My standing evening spot was Astern, the aft lounge, at sunset with the wake running out behind. The full dining lineup is here.

Who should book Explora I specifically

If you want the most proven ship with the longest track record, Explora I is it, and it's the hull I know best, because it's the one I sailed. In practice, though, I is functionally identical to Explora II: same suite roster, same venues, same layout. So I'd let the itinerary and the date drive the decision rather than the hull number, and on a given week II often prices slightly more keenly for the same product. If you're choosing between the current fleet and the new Explora III, that's a more meaningful decision, and I've laid it out separately.

From my own sailing

My own photos from aboard Explora I, the hull I keep recommending because it's the one I sailed. I wrote up the whole week in an Adriatic photo essay.