This $500-a-day stateroom is the smallest on the ship but it was more luxurious than any hotel I've stayed in
Brittany Chang
- I spent one night in Explora Journeys' new Explora I cruise ship while it was docked in New York.
- My Ocean Terrace suite was the smallest guest cabin on the ship starting at $500 a night in 2024.
If you had $3,000 to spare, would you immediately book a luxury cruise? If you said yes, Explora Journeys' first ship, the new $560 million Explora I, may be a great 2024 vacation option for you.
Amid the chaos of the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, MSC Group's new high-end cruise brand invited me to spend one night in the smallest guest cabin of its new vessel as it was docked overnight for its naming ceremony on October 12.
"Smallest" is no indicator of price — this floating accommodation starts at $500 a night in 2024. But after less than 24 hours aboard the vessel and my first time on a true luxury cruise ship, I now understand how wealthy travelers could justify spending this kind of cash on the ship's cheapest and smallest suite.
In this upper echelon of cruising, the smaller the guest capacity, the better.
This latest 813-foot-long contender to sail into the luxury cruise market has 461 suites ranging from 377 square-feet to 3,014 square-feet. Michael Ungerer, Explora Journeys' CEO, says the ship's smallest Ocean Terrace suites are still the largest entry level accommodations in the industry.
On paper, this floating hotel room has all the same baseline facilities as any cruise ship stateroom.
There's a bathroom, bed, and living "room."
But in my opinion, it’s the additional comforts that make this suite worthy of its lofty price.
After all, not all cruise ship staterooms welcome its guests with a bottle of champagne.
I’ve yet to see any other starter cabin bathroom with heated floors and a long rainfall walk-in shower.
Truthfully, the bathroom in my veranda stateroom on premium cruise line Oceania's new Vista ship seemed much more spacious at a cheaper cost. Until now, that stateroom had been my favorite.
But size aside, the little details in this room — specifically the dark marbled countertop and towel hangers inside the shower — inched ahead of Oceania.
I appreciated the size of Oceania's home to the porcelain throne. But as someone traveling alone, I didn't need this larger space.
So reasonably, I prefer Explora's seemingly smaller but more luxuriously designed bathroom.
And my Oceania accommodation did not have a walk-in closet like this Ocean Terrace suite.
You can expect to see a closet with hangers and drawers in most cruise staterooms. Those pale in comparison to Explora's.
Here, this expansive storage space had two sections of hangers (some padded) and a short wardrobe topped with a glass-paneled drawer to easily peek at the organizer underneath.
This walk-in closet, which separated the bathroom from the rest of the suite, also had a seated vanity. This is where you'll find a Dyson hairdryer stored in its own molded drawer (a first for me).
Around the corner, I was met with decor-lined shelves and my nest for the night.
A duvet and pillows stuffed with down feathers — not my preference — and Frette-branded linens topped my king bed. I'm no bedding connoisseur, so my only review is that it was in fact comfortable.
However, the space around this slumber spot is a tighter squeeze compared to other staterooms I've stayed in.
Small bedside tables with wall-mounted outlets and USB chargers provided convenient phone charging.
As someone who's stayed at plenty old hotels, easy bedside charging is an underrated comfort that I take for granted in many new builds.
From my bed, I had a view of a large mirror and a thin long counter.
When the bedroom turned into the living room, this counter grew in width to make room for some built-in cabinets.
There’s no physical divider between the living “room” and bed in most run-of-the-mill staterooms.
But here, a dark ceiling panel over the bed and a shelving unit with books and contemporary decor separated these two spaces.
While I didn't have time to touch any of this literature, I'm sure some travelers will be thrilled to read the "Diario di una Schiappa" — "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" in Italian.
For us non-Italian speakers, my bookshelf also had “The New York Times 36 Hours. World. 150 Cities from Abu Dhabi to Zurich.”
While fun and only slightly pretentious compared to the "Diary," this addition looked like a poorly planned afterthought: It didn't fit on the shelf.
But if you're fluent enough in French, ignore that and pick up "Les vaches de Staline" instead. (Explora really wants its passengers to know it's European).
Next to this tall shelf, a deep couch faced the television.
When I sat down and leaned back, I immediately felt the couch cushions mold around my back. Ergonomic? Probably not. Good for remote work? Not really. Comfortable? Sure.
The adjoining coffee table displayed my suite’s complimentary bottle of Veuve Clicquot and a large MSC-branded cookie.
I welcomed my cookie sugar rush and crash with open arms — I had to take advantage of my luxury stay somehow.
But for the rest of us sober girlies, an espresso machine, a water kettle, and a variety of coffee and teas were stored in pull-out drawers next to the television.
My room also came with carafes of water and refillable water bottles.
Explora says there are no single-use plastics on its ship, a commitment more cruise lines have been making as the industry continues to face criticism for its lack of sustainability.
Past this living room, the glass sliding door opened onto a 75-square-foot terrace with a daybed, table, and two chairs.
Explora's suites all come with a pair of binoculars for guests who would rather relax on their private balcony than in one of the common lounges.
I had no use for them: My $600 view for the night was of the New York City cruise terminal.
Joking complaints aside, I have no true criticisms for this suite.
The contemporary design, dark wood accents, inoffensive decor, and thoughtful layout made this more of an upscale hotel room than a cruise ship cabin.
Even then, I've never had a walk-in closet, balcony with a daybed, Dyson hairdryer, or filled bookshelf in any hotel room before.
Looking at fares in 2024, this is the most expensive hotel room at sea I’ve ever stayed in. At its price, there’s no surprise it’s also the most luxurious.
In 2024, vacations in this smallest suite on the Explora I start at $3,000 per person for a six-night January sailing from Miami to Cartagena, Colombia. It's not cheap, but nor is the quality of the room.
Let’s not forget this fare also includes access to Explora I’s upscale restaurants, the spa, beverages, and WiFi, among other all-inclusive cruise amenities.
On many ships operated by major cruise lines, all of these come at an additional cost.
Don’t look at me — I don’t fit in Explora’s target tax bracket.
But for wealthy travelers who can't resist a quiet cruise vacation, this $500 a day could be justifiable.
"I'd rather have a few empty beds and get the right guests at the right price," Ungerer, the CEO of Explora Journeys, told Insider.
After all, if you’re a high-earning couple looking for a quiet, relaxing, and upscale vacation, traveling on the Explora I could be more economical than staying in some luxury hotels.
And I would bet that the unobstructed ocean views from the suite's balcony during days at sea are better than the views from most luxury city hotels at a similar price.
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