Explora Journeys, from Athens to Istanbul: The Ship That Remembered My Tea
First Person Review | Explora Journeys
The Ship That Remembered My Tea: EXPLORA I from Athens to Istanbul
CRUISELECT CEO Afra Rahman reviews 7-nights on EXPLORA I from Athens to Istanbul. The suite, the food, the crew, Meteora and what to book.
EXPLORA I is big enough that the lounges never feel empty and small enough that you never queue.
Over seven nights from Athens to Istanbul, the food never dropped below excellent, the crew remembered the smallest preferences, and the sunset passage towards Istanbul on the last evening was the highlight. The one thing I would change: a bed that faces the sea.
Part 1: 7-nights on EXPLORA I
Arriving: What EXPLORA I feels like on board
The journey was Athens to Istanbul, seven nights, from 16 to 23 August 2025, on a route Explora calls “A Journey to Cultural Cauldrons and Magnificent Mykonos”. We left Piraeus in the evening, then called at Mykonos, Patmos, Volos, Thessaloniki and Kavala, had one full day at sea, and reached Istanbul at seven in the morning on the last day. I was travelling with friends, four suites of us together, which made the whole week. I was not expecting anything, and I did not build it up in my head. If anything, I expected another big cruise ship. What met me was not too big at all. It is intimate. You walk around and you do not see a lot of people, and I liked that a lot. There was no single moment when I thought, this is different. The difference is the number of people around you all week. Explora is not too big and not too small. There is always somebody in the lounge, so it never feels empty, but you never queue and you never squeeze past anyone. That balance is the difference, and you feel it from the first day.
Ship fact: EXPLORA I carries a maximum of 922 guests in 461 suites, with roughly one crew member for every 1.25 guests.
The suite: an Ocean Terrace Suite, midship
My suite was an Ocean Terrace Suite, with its own terrace. It was midship, close to the lift and near the laundry room, which sounds like a small thing but is very convenient. When I opened the door, the first thing I noticed was a proper walk-in wardrobe, not a cupboard. Everything felt more spacious than I expected on a ship. I had the suite to myself, and it was very comfortable. If there is one thing from the suite I would want in my own home, it is that wardrobe. But a smaller detail tells you more about the ship. I unpacked, left my empty suitcase by the window, and later it was gone. I actually thought it had gone missing, and assumed they had taken it to a storage room somewhere. They had simply put it under the bed, out of sight, in the one place I had not thought to look. For the rest of the week I had the whole floor back. Nobody asked me and nobody made a note of it. It was just done. One thing did not work for me. I would love to see the ocean from my bed. If the bed faced the terrace, that would be amazing, whatever the size of the suite. It is not a must, because you can always step outside. But if you ask me what I would change, that is it.
The crew: service that remembers you
The group I remember most clearly is the spa team at Ocean Wellness. The therapists were Indonesian, and all of them were superb. Talking to them in my own language in the middle of the Aegean, and then getting a treatment from someone that skilled, is really nice. The crew learned my name and my preferences very quickly, because it is a small ship. I noticed because they called me by my last name, not just “sir”. And they knew I only drink mint tea with honey, because I don't drink coffee or alcohol. After the first time, they just kept offering it, and I never had to explain it again. The tea and the suitcase were the two times somebody anticipated something before I asked. Both are small, and that is the point. Nobody announced either of them. After a day or two you stop noticing that you are being looked after, and you simply feel comfortable. In my own words, the service is friendly, personal and delivered by the same faces. You see the same people every day, so by the middle of the week it no longer feels like service. It feels like travelling together with the staff. They do take days off, so sometimes someone new arrives and you explain things again, but that is normal. What it is not is a city hotel. In a hotel, the staff go home and you stay. Here nobody goes home. Everybody is at sea together, heading to the next destination, and that changes the whole atmosphere. It is not formal, not stiff and not scripted. What stood out most is that small things travelled with me around the ship. The tea was not a restaurant thing. It followed me to the pool, to the lounge, everywhere: different people, different decks, same tea. In a hotel, that kind of knowledge usually stays inside one department.
Eating and drinking on EXPLORA I
The most memorable thing about the food was not one meal. It was that the standard never dropped. Seven nights, different restaurants, different cuisines, and it was high every time. The Mediterranean food was especially good, which makes sense on that route. I have a very strict palate when it comes to Asian food, and Sakura, the Asian restaurant on deck 5, passed. I ordered far too much there. The honest headline is that you can eat anywhere on that ship and it will be good, which is harder to achieve than one famous dish. I moved around rather than returning to one favourite, and there is plenty to move between: Marble & Co. Grill, Med Yacht Club, Fil Rouge, Sakura and the Emporium Marketplace, among others. I did go back to Sakura more than once, but that was my own taste, not because the others were weaker. My advice is to order widely rather than hunt for one signature dish. The ship's strength is the range, and you only see it by trying a bit of everything. Most mornings I had breakfast at the Emporium Marketplace on deck 11. Some people prefer somewhere quieter, but I like doing a little of everything in one morning, and it was very good. That is the calm hour. The ship is usually just coming into port, people are relaxed and nobody rushes you.
A day at sea: spa, pickleball and the quiz
The spa stood out, and I booked it most days, usually a 90-minute oil massage at Ocean Wellness on deck 5. 90-minutes, not sixty, because at sea you actually have the time, and that extra half hour is where a treatment becomes a rest. The Indonesian therapists are the reason I kept going back. Outside the spa, the live entertainment stood out. The band and the vocalists were genuinely amazing. There was also a quiz in the Astern Lounge on deck 5, right in front of Sakura, which was a very good icebreaker. That is where you actually meet the other guests, and on a small ship that matters, because you see the same people all week. The place I kept going back to was the sports court on deck 14, every afternoon into sunset, for pickleball. I like to stay active when I travel. It is genuinely difficult, because the ship keeps moving and rolls a little, so you are balancing the whole time you play. Nobody warns you about that, and it is the part I loved. In the evenings, it was dinner with my friends, then the live music, then the quiz if it was on. That was enough. It is a good rhythm, because by day three you are not walking into a room full of strangers. There was never a moment when I felt there was not enough to do. You are not there to be entertained every minute. Between the sports court, the spa, the music and the quiz, my day was full without anybody pushing an activity at me. I will also admit that I brought my Nintendo Switch and played on deck by the ocean. That is my idea of a good afternoon at sea.
Ashore: the ports from Mykonos to Istanbul
The port that stayed with me most is Volos, and not really because of Volos itself. It is where we drove inland to Meteora, the monasteries on top of those rocks. Of the whole week, that is the day I would tell someone not to miss.
One recommendation for each port:
Mykonos. Go to a beach club, because that is what Mykonos is for. My stranger recommendation: go into a supermarket. They were playing club music inside. It was crazy, and I still talk about it.
Patmos. Stay around the port. It is a small, very pretty town, and you can see it properly on foot.
Volos. Take the excursion inland to Meteora and give it the whole day.
Thessaloniki. The city is right there. I walked to most of the sights from the ship.
Kavala. Another small port town and one of the nicest surprises, with everything within walking distance.
Istanbul. Stay on afterwards. I have been many times, so I went back to my own places, then spent a few nights there before flying to Rome.
The pattern on this itinerary is worth saying out loud. In four of the ports, the town starts where the ship stops. You walk off and you are in it: no transfer, no planning, no half day lost getting somewhere. The surprises only went in one direction, and they came from the less famous names: Patmos, Kavala and Thessaloniki. I had no picture of them before I went, and those are the towns I remember walking around. Mykonos delivers exactly what it promises, and the beach clubs are the reason to go. The surprise was that the quieter names on the itinerary held their own next to the famous one. I took the ship's excursions rather than going on my own. We booked the package, and everything was private: our own car and our own driver, not a coach with fifty people. The driver was really nice. That is what I would advise, especially for a long day inland like Meteora. You are back on time, you are not negotiating anything, and it still feels like your own day rather than a group tour. The port worth staying on for is Istanbul. The ship arrives at seven in the morning on the last day, so you already have the whole day. I stayed a few nights and then flew to Rome, and I would tell any guest to do the same rather than fly home that afternoon. In general on this itinerary, you arrive in the morning and leave at night, so you get a real day ashore, not two hours.
The details nobody writes about
The toiletries were quite ordinary. They are Mandala Blue, a line made for Explora, and they were perfectly fine, but I would not call them a highlight.
What I did not expect was the boutiques, and I mean properly. EXPLORA I opened the first Rolex boutique at sea, and you can actually buy what you see. I bought my first Rolex there, brand new, in the middle of the Aegean, and a friend bought a Daytona on the same trip. I will keep which one I bought to myself. The point is not the watch. It is that this is a real boutique at sea, not a display case.
Is Wi-Fi included on Explora? Yes, and it is genuinely fast. It runs on Starlink, so I worked from the ship without thinking about it.
Do you tip on Explora? No. Gratuities are included, so nobody hovers with a bill.
Do you need a plug adapter on EXPLORA I? Not usually. The suites have both European and North American sockets, plus USB and USB-C outlets and wireless charging, and an adapter is provided, with others available on request. Whatever you bring, you are covered, so don't pack adapters.
What do people wear to dinner on Explora? There are no formal nights. People dress smart and relaxed, resort chic, and a shirt with good trousers is plenty.
Is the Explora app worth using? Yes. I used it constantly. It shows the sunset time, which matters more than it sounds when you want to be on deck for it, plus embarkation and disembarkation times, the weather, what to pack for the day and the evening's dress code. If it turns out you don't own something, you can buy it on board.
What should you pack for an Explora cruise? Proper trainers if you will play on the sports court. I would not have thought of that before I saw it. Light layers for the deck at night. And, in my case, the Nintendo Switch, which sounds ridiculous on a luxury ship until you are playing on deck with the ocean in front of you. Leave anything formal at home. I packed for a dress code that does not exist there.
The moment: sunset on the last evening
My favourite moment was the last evening, sailing towards Istanbul at sunset and passing under the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, the huge suspension bridge across the Dardanelles. It was breathtaking. Everybody was out on deck, the light was going, and the ship just slid underneath it. It felt like a grand entrance, and then you sleep and wake up in Istanbul at seven the next morning. That build-up, sunset and then the city at dawn, is the moment. I would love to do it again. In a smaller way, so was pickleball on deck 14 with the ship moving under my feet. You cannot buy either of those in any hotel in the world. When I think about the voyage now, the first image is the destinations. That is how my mind works: I want to know whether the places are really good. And seeing Greece by ship is really nice, because you don't have to take planes, and you don't pack and unpack every two days. You unpack once, then go to all these different islands without worrying about anything. That is the image: my things in one wardrobe while the view outside keeps changing.
Related Available Journey
Part 2: The Advisor's View
Who is Explora Journeys for?
Honestly, pretty much everyone. I know advisors are trained to narrow it down, but I have not met a guest who would not enjoy this ship. If you push me, the person who falls for it fastest is someone who wants a very good hotel without the formality, and who does not want to be part of a crowd. The guests on board with me were mostly European, which makes sense on a Mediterranean route, with only a few Asian guests. Beyond that it was a very mixed group: families, couples and three generations travelling together. What I noticed most was the balance. Nobody dominated the ship, and it was never loud. You could tell there were families on board without ever being disturbed by it.
Is Explora good for families?
Yes, and I say that having seen the parents on board actually relaxed. There is enough for the children and enough for the parents, which is the part that usually fails. Most family ships entertain the children and exhaust the adults, or the opposite. Here both sides of the family get their day.
Is EXPLORA I accessible for wheelchair users?
EXPLORA I has 10 wheelchair-accessible suites, one Grand Penthouse Suite and nine Ocean Terrace Suites, on decks 8, 9 and 10, with wider doors and adapted bathrooms. Six of them connect to a neighbouring suite, which helps if you travel with a companion or carer. Two more things are worth knowing. There are no wheelchairs or scooters to borrow on board, so bring your own, and wheelchair assistance is offered on embarkation and disembarkation days only. Pool lifts can be fitted on request at the Atoll Pool on deck 10 and the Conservatory Pool on deck 11. As an advisor, I would also confirm two things with the line for the specific sailing: which ports use tenders, since boarding a tender is usually the real difficulty, and the terrain on each excursion. A day like Meteora involves steps and uneven ground.
The honest assessment
I chose Explora for the destination first. I wanted Greece, and specifically Greece done the way only a ship can do it. We were also four suites of friends, so the ship had to work for people who wanted to be together at dinner and completely independent during the day. Explora did both. Would I make the same choice again? Yes, and I already know my next two. Having sailed other lines, I would put Explora's difference down to the scale, the consistency of the food and service that follows you around the ship. Where can it improve? First, the suite layout. Let me see the ocean from my bed. That is a design decision, not a budget one. Second, continuity. When a crew member takes a day off, you sometimes explain your preferences again, and on a ship this personal that gap is more noticeable than it would be elsewhere. Neither stopped me enjoying the week. One thing I tell every guest: Explora is more than one ship. There are EXPLORA I, II and III, with EXPLORA IV due in 2027, and they are not interchangeable, the same way you would not judge a hotel group by one property. The biggest misconception about luxury cruising in general is that you have to dress up every night, that you will be in a crowd, and that you barely see the destination. On this itinerary we arrived in the morning and left at night, and in most ports the town began where the ship stopped. The destination was the point. The ship was how I got there comfortably. If a client told me they were not sure cruising was for them, I would not argue about cruising. I would ask how they would do Greece otherwise: flights between islands, a different hotel every two nights, packing and unpacking, checking in and out. Then I would say that on Explora you unpack once, the islands come to you, and nobody makes you join anything. If they still do not like it after seven nights, I will listen. But that has not happened yet.
What to book: ship, itinerary, suite and timing
Ship: EXPLORA I or EXPLORA II.
Itinerary: one that ends with an entrance. Athens to Istanbul is exactly that, because the last evening does the work for you.
Suite: the Ocean Terrace Suite is the sweet spot. Ask for midship, near the lift and the laundry, which is where I was, and it was right. For more outdoor space, go up to the Ocean Grand Terrace Suite.
Timing: book nine to twelve months ahead for the good suites and dates. Book earlier if you need accessible or connecting suites, or if you are a group that wants suites near each other.
What I wish I had known before I sailed: there is nothing formal to pack, and the app answers almost every practical question. My one piece of advice for a first-time Explora guest is to say your preferences out loud on day one, even the small ones. Mine was mint tea with honey. Tell one person, and by the next day the whole ship knows. Guests who stay quiet get good service. Guests who say one small thing get the version I had. Next time, I would ask about the bed and the view before boarding. I would sail longer than seven nights, because by day four I had only just settled in. And I would try the other ships rather than repeat the one I know.
Would I sail with Explora again?
Yes, without hesitation. EXPLORA II next, then EXPLORA III, in a different part of the world, and ideally on another journey where the arrival is the event.