7 Nights A Journey from San Juan to Miami Cruise

The Best Ship

I am in love with Explora! Embarkation was easy peasy--you are treated to champagne and snacks or could go to the buffet (Emporium) for lunch. I took public transit to the Port of Miami and the Orange Trolley stop is right across from the ship! The suites are absolutely gorgeous--large, and well appointed with fine linens, furniture, etc. The balcony was great. They kept cleaning the glass walls and the exterior of the ship. Everything was perfect. The staff are SOOO friendly and can't do enough for you. The pools are to die for. And the food??? OMG. It was sooooo delicious and plentiful. All the restaurants were great but I preferred Emporium (the buffet). I even tried pickleball--which was fun. I didn't participate in many of the activities and only attended 1 evening show. I kept pinching myself. Was I really on this gorgeous ship?? I highly recommend it. We had 650 people on board. Even without reservations, you could get into the restaurants.

Wonderful Experience

Activities: With multiple sea days on this cruise, the crew provided a wide variety of activities to keep passengers occupied. They had a crew vs passengers cornhole game in the lobby that was as much fun to watch as it was to participate in. They offered "Chef's Kitchen" cooking classes, and a full range of spa services, some of which I was told were open to all guests free of charge. Service: All crew went over and above in providing excellent service in all areas of the ship. Very noticeable on this ship was how visible all senior members of the crew were throughout the journey. Tours of the bridge can be arranged in advance if you want one. Cabins: This cabin was comparable to other high-end cruise lines we have been on, providing a spacious shower with a bench seat. One complaint here was that the grab bar was awkwardly placed - and on sea days it would have been helpful if it had been positioned more conveniently. Bathroom comes with a heated floor, which is nice if you are in bear feet. Cabins are equipped with a new Dyson hair dryer, but it comes neatly tucked in a drawer with a pre-formed compartment - meaning , you have to ease it out then meticulously place the cord and parts back into their proper slots - like placing it back into the box it came in if you want to return it. There was also a vanity stool and lighted mirror in the closet area. Nice, but the stool was very low to the ground and difficult to get up and down. Also, considering how new this ship was, I was surprised to find multiple stains in the cabin (rug, curtains, pillows and sofa). For part of this journey, the ship was not full and it should be a prime time to tackle those interior areas of the ship that need a deeper cleaning. Dining: Most experiences were excellent, including the Emporium (the main buffet dining room). Particularly memorable was the bread station; everyone raved at how good the baguettes were. Included was a pizza station, with fresh pizzas made continuously throughout the dining period. There was also a fresh hand-made pasta section; carving station, burgers, seafood and specialty items. Only place where I would like to see improvement is in their salad bar, with more add-in toppings available. We ate at three of the restaurants aboard - Marble Company and Grill is their 'meat' restaurant. They offer Filet Mignon and Strip Steaks, but no roasted Prime Rib. The Med Yacht Club offered a varied menu and Anthology is a specialty Restaurant with a $140-$200 price tag per person. We had excellent meals at all the restaurants and I am especially grateful. Due to dietary limitations, they were all willing and able to prepare my meals according to my needs. Children's club: Explora does allow children, and there were several on our cruise. They were all well behaved and mostly invisible. There is a separate play area with activities available for them, but we did not investigate it. Entertainment: NIce variety of offerings - musical, dancing, and lectures. Evening shows were a grade above what I had experienced on previous cruise ships, although the acoustics distracted from the overall performances. Embarkation and Disembarkation: Both processes were smoothly run: staggered embarkation times allowed for rapid entry onto the ship. We opted for early disembarkation, due to flight arrangements, and all went well. TIP - After sailing multiple cruises at various times of the year and to both hot and cold locations, I have finally learned that from here on out - REGARDLESS OF WHERE OR WHEN YOU ARE TRAVELING, ALWAYS - ALWAYS - make sure you have warm clothing. It was freezing on the plane, and cold many times onboard, even though we were cruising in the Caribbean. The ship will have its air conditioning on, and many areas of the ship will be cool (restaurants, lounges, and small meeting rooms). Overall, this was a very memorable experience. The ship and crew were spectacular, and we will be cruising with them again soon.

Explora Journeys Is VERY Special

I have done 35+ cruises in 44 years with my first cruise being my honeymoon. I rate all my cruises based on what I have experienced on previous voyages. No cruise is ever perfect in every way. How can it be? It is a luxury hotel in the middle of the Ocean. Explora Journeys came close with many PROS and some CONS. The PROS out weighted the CONS. My wants, needs and motives will be different then many based on my previous experiences. Some cruisers will agree, some will disagree. That is the nature of cruise and cruise enthusiasts. Ship (Explora 1) (Rating: 10 out of 10): Stunning in every way. Colors, decorating, quality of furnishings, layout and design. What stands out most to me when remembering my experience was the Pools and Hot tubs. So many to choose from, each with a different personality. I love hot tubs but was disappointed in the past because there were so few, and all were filled with unsupervised children ever open hours. Not on Explora 1. Sometimes, even on sea days I was the only one in the hot tub. The pools were always warm and never too cold. If water features are important to you, look no further. Bars and Lounges (Rating 9 out of 10: Lets start with the pool/hot tub areas. Each had a full bar with lots of crew to assist you. Unlike other brands where it was so crowded and had a lack of crew. You NEVER go thirsty on Explora. They even offered while at the pool to bring Potato chips and mixed nuts as a snack. If you are a wine drinker, the selection is ok but not great compared to Luxury/Ultra-Luxury Competitors. Knowing this allows you to bring your own wine onboard with, as I know it, no corking charge. You can also purchase bottles from the ship who had a very night wine selection for sale. The Premium Liquors were OK and adequate for my needs. Some guests wanted higher end premium spirits to be included, when they were not. Knowing this about wines and liquors should allow you to have plan and establish “Realistic Expectations”. Food and Dining (Rating: 9 out of 10): No main dining room as would be the case in a 5-6 star hotel. The ship has four formal sit-down Restaurants. Each with their own characters and flavors. Fil Rouge (Rating 8 out of 10) which is Breakfast every day and dinner each night was French. Med Yacht Club (Rating 8 of of 10) which had Mediterranean flair, open selected lunch and dinner every night. Marble and Company Grille (Rating 7 out of 10) focused on meat open for dinner. Sakura (Rating 9 out of 10) which was Asian fusion open some lunches and dinner nightly with a lovely sushi bar. The Emporium Marketplace (Rating 8 out of 10) was Explora Journeys approach to a Buffet. I loved eating here for lunch. Breakfast I preferred Fil Rouge and dinner I liked a more formal dining experience. That said, at dinner you had the options of Lobster Tails, Crab, Shrimp, all of which was very good and made fresh. They made Pasta to order. They made Burgers and small steaks to order giving you a beeper to let you know when your food was ready. A crew member could get your food or you could do so. Unique approach to buffet for sure. The complaint is there was any focused on three things: 1) With no main dining room and occupancy getting close to full; you really needed a reservation to gain a nice seating time. Some found that to be unpleasant, especially waiting for a table. 2) The menus for the most part never changed and those that wanted variety felt that was a flaw; 3) The selection of Beef was hit or miss. This is a European brand. Their beef was grass feed vs. grain feed. It tended to be tough or chewy as it would be in many places in Europe. The one exception was a GREAT steak in Med Yacht Club. This information is yet again so we can all have Realistic Expectations. Overall Service (Rating: 10 out of 10): The ships ratio is 1:00 to 1:25. Service for me was never a problem and very much a highlight. One day in, everyone seemed to know my name. Bar tenders knew what I liked to drink. Crew were enjoying the job, and it showed in their engagement with guests and each other. The true test of a brand wanting to be in the Luxury/Ultra-Luxury category is “Personalized Service” and Explora Journey crushed this goal. Embarkment (Rating: 9 out of 10): For me it was perfect, however full disclosure. I was in a top end suite called a “Retreat Residences Suite”. Under the suite information below I will overview. OT and Penthouse guest had a much different experience. The normal boarding time was 01:00 PM, with your suite ready at 02:00 to 03:00 PM. The luggage was delivered around 03:00 to 03:30 PM. Many who got to Terminal D (Carnival’s Terminal) at 11:15 AM had to wait for both check-in and board. They were not pleased but those were the rules. The good news was your EJ mobile app worked at the port so you could start making reservations for Fil Rouge and Med Yacht Club while waiting. Those in the Residences Suites was a whole other experience. See below. Spa/Gym (Rating: 8 out of 10): The spa was stunning with the best equipment I have ever seen in a cruise ship spa. Was it expensive, of course. Yet, unlike other brands you could reserve your services pre-cruise, pay on the cruise so you could use OBC to pay for your spa services. I was traveling with my sister and we both got two 60-minute Massages. The amenities in the spa like heated lounge chairs, salt room, sauna, steam room and thermal spa were available to everyone with some restrictions during very crowded sea days. I loved this amenity being part of my fare investment. The gym was very well equipped with all new equipment and a focus on a brand called Technogym. Sorry, I never went in and used the gym on this vacation. Food and drink were my exercise of choice. On/Off Ship (Rating: 9 out of 10): Small ship, less guest so no real issue getting on or off the ship for ports or Dis-Embarkation. When on an execution you still had to meet in a location, wait for guests that did not know how to read their watches and be walked off to the excursion location on the port. I dislike this with passion and there for hardly ever do excursions on a cruise ship. Instead, I have a long breakfast at Fil Rouge, lever everyone gets off the ship and takes my time. Just me. "You do you". Retreat Residences Suite (Rating: 9 out of 10): This suite was stunning, well appointed, roomy and felt like a luxury apartment. Was it the largest or best laid out suite I have ever had, "NO". But it was in the ball park. Most would think the suite itself was the main benefit but I would disagree. It was the very special amenities received for the premium investment paid. Those included but not limited to: 1) Embarkment: Drop off luggage at port, go to the EJ Tent, share your suite number (NOTE: The Retreat Residences Suites on Deck 7 had the biggest footprint) a Retreat Residences Suite and immediately get an escort to the security, up to the check-in. A special check in for Residences Suites where you are transferred to your butler who take you from there. Escorted to muster, then directly to your suite which is ready. From luggage drop off to suite was less then 10 min. 2) Full Bar Setup of Premium Spirits and Brut Moet Champagne with a fully stocked Mini-Bar. 3) Huge suite and in this specific suite, a hot tub on your veranda. This suite of all the residences suites had the smallest veranda but it was still larger then most and all we needed. We did ask for another lounge chair and got it immediately. 4) Professionally trained butler that did every single thing for you if you let them. Priority reservations, checking on excursions or spa treatments. Reminded you of special event like a very special Captain's dinner for only Residences Guests and a bridge tour which was very special. The walk in closet was over the top. Now the downside was the size of the bathroom which seemed just slightly cramped. I would assume, the closet got the extra room. The guest bathroom was perfect for having a small party or drinks with friends new and old. Relating the great bar setup. You could have in-suite dining from any restaurant served by course by your butler with some advanced notice. More amenities but I think you get the idea. This was my sisters first cruise at age 72. She could never replicate this experience.