7 Nights A Journey from San Juan to Miami Cruise

The Best Way to Cruise

I’m just back from a Caribbean cruise on the newer MSC luxury ship, Explora II. Having cruised on Ritz Carlton, IIma in January of 2024, I can compare Explora II to that. I had a wonderful time with great service on both ships. Ritz excursions were better than the ones on Explora II. The food was excellent on both ships, but Explora had more variety. There was slightly more entertainment on Explora with large lounge, sport court and small casino. However, I really enjoyed the Ritz beach party, flower arranging class and the party given on the last night of the cruise. MSC should work on offering more unique and immersive excursions for their guests. There were only a handful of children on both of the cruises. If you are looking for luxury, service and the feeling that you have the ship to yourself, then you would enjoy either cruise ship.

5-stars from those who cruise AND those who don't!

Explora II: A 5-star review from those who cruise and those who don't! My wife and I, in our 50s, cruise a lot. We took an Explora II cruise (on the advice of our travel agent who is in love with Explora) from Barbados to San Juan with my wife's brother and his wife, also in their 50s. They don't remember the last decade they cruised but they are 6-star travelers and hate "cruise life!" Until now! We had the entry level cabin (Ocean Terrace Suite) and it was amazing! My wife loved the style and materials. I loved the walk in closet with the vanity mirror/desk so didn't have to see my wife on the floor in the hallway putting on her makeup. The bathroom was also one of the most spacious! My brother/sister in-law had one of the mid-larger cabins (Cove Residences) and were happy with their offering which came with an additional butler and whirlpool on balcony. Big Stage Entertainment: Biggest disappointment BUT so many other niches to hang that it was okay in the long run! Staff has a CAN-do attitude! Remember that part of hospitality? Its so refreshing! The creme de la creme was Alex (Sasha), head of Food & Beverage (pictured at the Asian-themed restaurant); we might actually cruise again to see him! We loved the guy who headed up the Whisky-tasting (tho forget his name now-sorry). Our cabin-steward, Jacqueline, was amazing (pictured with the abundance of Diet Coke my wife requested). Food & Restaurants: 10 out of 10 and, tho arduous, I think I ate at them all! Not thrilled with the pre-boarding as well as the boarding rezi app, which could sort by time available instead of having to go down the rabbit hole of each restaurant to see if they have availability at the time you want, but that hopefully will get fixed. Explora II was launched in 2024. I think the secret to these ships is that they pushed out inside accommodations as far out to the sides so gives more square footage in the rooms and also the common areas at the expense of redundant outside walking areas. Sometimes in the beginning of the cruise, when you get lost, you'll figure that out and then be lost no more! Common areas were awesome! The elevator banks on each wall had to press the button separately because the couches in between were causing people to trip! Isn't that Darwin at work? Hassle that should have a better workaround! Pools are amazing tho not happy that the outdoor whirlpool closes at 8pm! I am happy, thrilled that the size of the rectangular huge shape that accommodates more than one person at a time like those tiny round ones by the pool on other ships, where you're playing footsie all the time! Also, the Jacuzzis are facing the side of the ship so you can see some incredible sunsets instead of having to look at other bathers! I would go back on this ship for this feature alone! In the immortal words of The Terminator: I'll be balk!

Fantastic Trip on Explora 2

As frequent satisfied MSC Yacht Club cruisers we were excited to learn of the Explora Journeys line offered by MSC. If you are a Haven, Yacht Club, Retreat etc. type person you are going to like this offering. Essentially it is the Yacht Club/Haven/Retreat experience on a larger ship. The ship is stunning with elegant finishes and beautiful art. It feels right sized. At capacity it can carry about 900 guests. The crew to guest ratio is advertised as 1.25 to 1. It was never hard to get service in the restaurants, bars or at the pool. Guests were mostly older (55 plus) but there were a fair number of younger couples, the older folks tended to be American with the younger crowd mostly European. There were unconfirmed sightings of a few children but I did not see them with my own eyes. All cabins have balconies, and a standard cabin is large. Cabins have plenty of storage, all have a bed and a sofa. There is separate closet area with a vanity mirror that you walk through to get to the bathroom. You will find chilled champagne waiting to help you with unpacking. Once finished I was quite pleased with my clothing organization. There are night lights in the nightstands that turn on when your feet hit the floor, nice touch. Also, the heated floors and night light in the bathroom were appreciated features. The room didn’t get as cool as I would like but closing the sliding door to the closet/bathroom area helped the room to cool down a bit more. Feeling settled we went out for a delicious dinner (more on the food later) and a few martinis I plopped into the bed and immediately drifted off to sleep. As the Gin wore off I woke up to find my balcony door groaning loudly with every movement of the ship. I tried all the usual fixes, open it, close it, lean against it, try to shim it with the daily program. No luck the door continued its protestations. I lied awake cursing the door until daylight and then made a bee line to guest services. They were great, maintenance was in my room in 10 minutes. He tried all my tricks to no avail but having tools he was able to mount a more focused assault on the insubordinate door. This mainly consisted of wedging screwdrivers and other metal objects into vulnerable areas in the door frame. After 15 minutes the maintenance man realized that he was defeated, the door seemed to laugh at him as he retreated to guest services to report his humiliation. Trusting that guest services would make this right we decided to visit the gym on 10 and squeeze in a quick workout. We found it well equipped with free weights, machines, three bikes, a rower, two striders and two treadmills. For you Pilates people (Pilatians?) the presence of two full sized reformers should make you feel guilty enough to work out a few times on the trip. As a bonus there are three rowers three bikes and some of those little workout boxes outside on deck 14. As we worked out plodding on the treadmill and banging our free weights on the floor I commented to my wife how happy I was that my room was not under the gym, the noise must be terrible. We took a couple of laps around the walking track on 12 and then headed back down to guest services to learn our stateroom fate. Knowing the ship was not completely full I was hoping to get bumped to a massive suite. This did not happen but Anna the manager was great. She found a nice room for us 4 doors down the hall from our current room right under the Gym. While I appreciated the gym proximity the banging and trudging coming from above would certainly make my naps less enjoyable. We rejected this room and they found another on the other side of the ship. Finding it to be a quiet room we accepted it. They even offered to move all our stuff for us. We declined but the staff helped us anyway with our hanging clothes. They gave us a bottle of wine for our troubles which helped ease the pain of the second unpacking. The new room proved to be a great location. It is the last room on the hall. Turn right and you are at the pool on 10, up one flight buffet, gym across the elevator lobby. The free laundry was just down the hall. Prime real estate to be sure. It was about lunchtime, so we headed up to the Buffet on 11. Wow…. Sushi daily, salads made to order, fresh handmade pasta with elevated sauces, pizza, cheeses, ceviche the choices were extensive, and the food was excellent. In the evening the buffet has oysters and crab claws. We cancelled two of our reservations just to eat in the buffet for dinner. It is a little unclear but the “main dining” restaurants are the Med Yacht Club and Fil Rouge on 4. Their menus are similar and the food and service in both was good. Sakura is Asian themed with a great Sushi selection and other dishes that did not disappoint. We had two dinners here and one lunch. Anthology is the up-charge restaurant with really nice ambiance and a wine pairing that was delicious. The steakhouse Marble and Co. was delicious. Overall, the food was better than even what I have had in the Yacht Club on MSC or the Haven on Norwegian. The service was always excellent. As with any MSC ship don’t miss the Gelato on 11. Lots of options for after dinner drinks. Lobby bar on 4 is not cozy but it is nice and sleek. The Explora Lounge on 11 has a singer/pianist/string music and is dark and loungy. The Whisky Bar is fun for upgraded cocktails (get a drink with the smoke bubble). The Astern Lounge is the after dark gathering place for the young folks to laugh and point at the dancing skills of their elders. The Astern lounge bartenders were the best on board. As bourbon people we were a little disappointed by the selection of Bullet, Makers, Woodford and Jack. You could pay and upcharge for Woodford Double Oaked. Despite this we were able to find something drinkable without too much difficulty. We had excellent weather with lots of opportunities for pool lounging. There are three outdoor pools on board and one indoor outdoor. While all bars are not near pools all pools are near bars. Bar staff will make sure that you don’t become dehydrated as you bake in the sun. Helios pool on 12 is “adults only” which is an unnecessary designation on this ship. It can be a bit windy up there depending on conditions and speed of the ship. The pools on 10 and 5 are both nice. There was not a lot of chair sharking going on and for the most part there were always loungers available. There are also loungers all around the deck on 12 with some in shade and some in sun depending on your preference. The indoor/outdoor pool tended to be overrun by the senior citizen crowd and could get a little raucous. While small, the casino proved quite effective at separating me and my money. At first glance there were two blackjack tables, a roulette table and various slots. If you ask nicely they will convert a table to Ultimate Texas Hold-em. If you are a serious gambler looking for Vegas at sea you will be disappointed. I would recommend Haven/Yacht Club/Retreat where you get a full-sized casino with a small ship feel. Stressed from my casino losses I decided to seek peace in the Spa. The thermal area is free and effective at melting away your stress. The steam room, Finnish sauna, salt room, whirlpool and heart stoppingly cold showers with special scents will help you forget the tiny casino. If that does not do it the spa offers massages, facials, nails and other beauty treatments. Price for these services was in line with other luxury lines and a little more than what I have seen on NCL, MSC and RC. What about the ports? As always these are what you make of them. Most of the time I am just as happy to enjoy the empty ship while everyone is ashore sweating in the heat. When we tendered it seemed that we anchored a ways out necessitating a 20 minute lifeboat ride to shore. Not my favorite way to spend 20 minutes. This is a great ship and from what I can see a great cruise line. Ship awesome, staff great, food great at a good price. Overall, I would highly recommend for any traveler looking for an upscale experience.