My first impressions of EXPLORA I

My first impressions of EXPLORA I

Aug 14, 2023George Rowlandsexplora i, explora journeys, first imprssions, luxury cruising, elite ocean cruise

We were lucky enough to be invited on Explora Journeys' brand-new cruise ship EXPLORA I.

This was just her second sailing with passengers on board after skirting the Iberian peninsula from Barcelona to Portsmouth. We were headed to Copenhagen, renowned as one of the happiest places in the world. Fair to say happiness levels definitely increased as we got closer to Scandinavia, but I think that was more down to the experience of this brand-new ship and brand-new cruise line than where we were in the world.

We were due to embark the ship at 2pm. We arrived at Portsmouth’s modest ferry terminal in plenty of time, greeted by what we could expect for the rest of the trip – dozens of smiling staff and a colourful selection of mouth-watering food. We wanted to catch a glimpse of brand-new ship EXPLORA I in all her glory, but she was hiding behind some of Portsmouth’s less luxurious ships. We’d have to wait.

My notes from this wait are quite poignant:

If the Explora apples are a sign of anything to come, this was going to be a juicy weekend.

We had a mouths-wide-open moment on the shuttle bus from the terminal as the bonny ship loomed into view. This was it, a moment we’d waited for. Me and Design and Creative Manager Adam, my shipmate for the trip, had created a digital guide for this brand-new cruise line just a few months before. At that point this ship was just an idea, although quite far along in construction at the famous Fincantieri shipyard.

You can read our Explora Journeys digital guide, you won’t find one like it anywhere else.

The time had finally come; what we’d been waiting for was finally here. It was almost surreal, like we were dreaming.

A home at sea

EXPLORA I is beautiful in a classical yacht-style design with a dark navy hull and gold lettering, but a blueprint for modern design. The comforting thing is that there are five more almost-identical ships to come, each as luxurious as the last.

My Ocean Terrace Suite was better than any of the CGIs in our Explora Journeys guide. At 35 sqm it was larger than your typical stateroom and there’s no compromise on the quality of anything, from the front door to the brass banister on my balcony. I was having difficulty imagining that this was only an entry-level room; Explora Journeys was starting to live up to its ultra-luxury name.

The bathroom is bigger than my bathroom at home. A large vanity was more than enough for little old me and my limited man-toiletries. The shower had two shower heads; a rain head and a normal power shower head. I could comfortably stay in that rain shower forever. By the time I did have to get out, the underfloor heating kept me in my enchanted state of comfort, my “Ocean State of Mind”. A dream but real life – I could easily get used to this.

I’ll repeat for emphasis – for a lead-in suite this is a big room, contemporarily decorated but soft in all the right places. My bed was like a huge marshmallow. If anything it was a waste for just me myself, when you could fit five or six much more deserving people in it.

There was also a walk-in wardrobe with soft robes, soft slippers and ample space to hang my clothes for the next three days.

Within the rest of the room I could play plug socket bingo while charging my devices. The bedside tables even have wireless charging units built into them.

It’s little details like this that take a cruise line from simple luxury to ultra-luxury; everything down to the quality of the apple juice in the minibar to the chaise longue being perfectly squat enough to fit on the balcony.

Did you know? Every suite on this ship has a balcony and nothing is inside.

Everything I needed was there; every amenity for a comfortable stay, with a couple of extra luxuries thrown in. A free welcome bottle of Champagne, a Dyson hairdryer (in a custom draw), and the customary Nespresso coffee machine.

A culinary experience

Lunch was served in the Emporium Marketplace.

The b-word (buffet) is banned on board, and any Explora Journeys employee will tell you this is not a b-word, but a European marketplace experience.

One difference between this and a buffet is that staff serve you everything, preparing it there in front of you. Another is the food. This isn’t cocktail sausages, sausage rolls or cheese and pineapple cubes on cocktail sticks. The food here is good; good enough for me to announce that this was my favourite part of the ship – despite only having been on board for all of 30 minutes. I visited the charcuterie and boulangerie for my starter, the pizzeria for main and balanced it all out with a bowl of fresh fruit for dessert.

Three courses at any mealtime became a habit and I didn’t mind one bit.

There’s nothing like a mid-afternoon nap on a cruise ship, bed like a giant marshmallow and rocked by the modest melody of the waves underneath me. I slept like a dog with a full stomach and a happy head, until a gentle knock on the door woke me up. A man called Sammy came into my room, apologised for doing so and proceeded to carefully place two ice cold beers in my personal minibar. It turns out he was my suite steward and a very nice guy.

"I’ve been told to remind you that dinner is booked for 8:30 at Sakura. Have a good one!"

Was I dreaming or was I in heaven? I pinched myself.

Sakura is the ship’s onboard Asian-fusion restaurant. I could have ordered the whole menu but I was limited by the size of my own stupid stomach. The choice of starters alone was incredible, and that’s before we even account for the sushi menu.

Dim sum

Iberico de Bellota pork, ginger, black vinegar, peanuts, edamame, shallot pickles

Gyoza

Galician cod, tiger prawns, chilli mayonnaise Baeri caviar

Crispy duck leg confit

Watermelon, roasted cashews, mint, basil, Thai sweet sauce

Jumbo lump crab salad

Avocado, edamame, Baeri caviar, yaku sauce, ponzu jelly

Soft shell crab tempura

Daikon, sriracha mayonnaise, black sesame

Wagyu beef tataki

Wakame salad, smoked Madagascan black pepper

Crispy langoustine roll

Brick foil, pomelo salsa, spicy aioli

Bluefin tuna tartar

Soy mirin, avocado, black garlic mayonnaise, kampot pepper

I went for the dim sum -- delicious pork dumplings with plenty of bite. As if that wasn’t enough I also ordered the crispy duck leg confit, crispy langoustine roll and the wagyu beef tataki. The main event by far was the crispy duck leg confit. So much so that in the following days, everyone we spoke to who had eaten at Sakura recommended that salad. Crispy duck leg is nothing new, but this reached higher heights of crispy crunchiness, accompanied by a salad of fresh watermelon, creamy cashews and a flavour performance starring mint, basil and sweet Thai chilli sauce. Incredible.

I’d attempt to describe the 72-hour cooked short rib pasanda to you, but I was already halfway to a flavour coma, delirious from deliciousness. It was a superb curry with the most tender short rib meat you could eat, but nothing was going to touch that confit duck salad.

Nothing will ever touch that confit duck salad.

I went back to my marshmallow that night content, full and thinking about that salad. I wondered whether our Explora Journeys experience had peaked too soon, given how mouths-wide-open impressed we were with everything in just half a day.

It hadn’t.

As the sun shone over the North Sea, this ship really came into her own. My colleagues and I are ready to tell you all about it, showing you everything as we take turns on board over the next few months.