Caribbean Cruise

After three years of full-time living and traveling in our motorhome, we decided to take a vacation. It seemed weird, maybe unjust, but a great opportunity came upon us, so we parked the motorhome and headed down the sea a piece. Although excited to go on a cruise, I was concerned about dealing with big crowds and the lack of time to fully explore during single days at port.

We set sail on the Explora 1 from San Juan Puerto Rico for seven days in the Caribbean, returning to port in Miami Florida. Explora Journey is a new luxury cruise line, owned by MSC Group focusing on an experience “designed to feel like your own private yacht”. And in our experience, it kind of did.

The Explora 1 isn’t a mega-ship with 6,000 plus passengers but it’s not a small ship either. With a passenger capacity of just over 900 and gross tonnage of just under 64,000 it is considerable smaller than these mega-ships but large enough to sail smoothly and have plenty of amenities. One of the things that sets Explora apart from many of the other cruise lines is the passenger to crew ratio which is 1.44 : 1. Our ship was well under its capacity and it was extremely nice to not have to deal with crowds of any sort.

The 461 rooms on board are all ocean suites with balconies. We had the basic suite and it was incredible compared to other ships we have been on. Yes, we’re used to living in a 35-foot motorhome, but these suites are extremely roomy with a king-sized bed, separate sitting area, lots of storage and a large balcony. Oh, and the bathroom would be the envy of any high-end house with a huge rain shower.

The included amenities on Explora are over the top. There are several fine dining restaurants and the Emporium Marketplace for all-day dining with everything from lobster, prime rib and fresh pasta. All of the food we had (and we had plenty) was spectacular. Endless premium spirits, wine and beer are available throughout the ship from the many lounges and poolside bars, in addition to liquor provided in your room.

There’s no lack of entertainment on the ship either with a small casino, several piano bars and the main Journeys Lounge where we were entertained by some pretty good performers. If you’re looking for rock climbing and zip lining this is not the cruise for you but there is a pickle ball and basketball court along with a fitness center and jogging track. The spa, included with your stay, is incredible with saunas, whirlpool, salt room and warming chairs. A full menu of massage therapies is available for an extra cost.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the ship but also had a great time at the four ports of call after leaving San Juan. Even though we had long days at port, it was an adjustment simply spending one day to explore when we are used to staying in one area for many days or weeks.

Gustavia (St. Barts)

Our first port was Gustavia, the main town and capital of St. Barts, or formally Saint Barthélemy. We took a cab to St. Jean Beach for some relaxing time in the sun. It was a beautiful white sand beach with the typical turquoise Caribbean water and several restaurants and bars to hang out at. Unfortunately, we caught it on a busy day and it required prior reservations for a beach chair or even a seat at the bar. nonetheless, we spent some quality time roughing it with our beach towels (poor us).

St. John’s (Antigua)

What we missed in St. Barts we certainly made up for in St. Johns, the capital of Antigua. The group of us hired a private driver for the day who took us to Dickenson Bay Beach. Our two hosts set us up on a quiet part of the beach with lounge chairs and umbrellas, made sure we had drinks and cooked us a lobster lunch! This gorgeous beach even had a floating tiki bar and shuttle boat to take you back and forth. Who is that who says, “life is good today”?

Basseterre (St. Kitts)

Our third port of call was Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis. After two days hanging out on the beach it was time to turn up the adrenaline meter, so we booked a mini speedboat tour. The boats were a blast to drive but it was very choppy, so the main goal was hanging on. The tour took us along the shore of St. Kitts and stopped at a spot to snorkel. The underwater world is beautiful with sea turtles, colorful fish, starfish and conch shells. St. Kitts also has a great area near the port for shopping, bars and restaurants so this was a great way to end the day.

Spanish Town (Virgin Gorda)

Virgin Gorda is one of the main islands of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and was our last port of call on the cruise before heading to Miami. We chartered a boat and captain for the day and toured the BVI, making several stops in Jost Van Dyke, Little Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda. We covered a lot of ground including an enjoyable drink at Bee Line Bar on the beach, lunch at the funky Foxy’s restaurant, a visit to an amazing spot called Saba Rock and a little hobnobbing at the Bitter End Yacht Club. But the highlight of the day was The Baths on Virgin Gorda. The Baths are one of the most famous and picturesque natural attractions in the Caribbean. They are a series of giant volcanic formed granite boulders scattered across the white sand beach, creating unique caves, tunnels, and pools that you can explore. It was a great day but we couldn’t help thinking how nice it would be to take a two-week tour of the BVI, traveling by boat and spending the night at marinas – somewhat like RVing on water.

With all of the great experiences this cruise provided there are two things that stood out the most. First, is the consistent impeccable service from the entire cruise staff. Every single staff member was genuinely friendly and helpful. They would go out of their way to accommodate us in every way to make this the best possible experience, and it was. The second thing was experiencing this with the group of people we traveled with. From old friends to new ones we just met, it was so much fun. A special “thank you” to our good friends Steve and Susan for arranging all of this.

We learned that no matter what your regular routine is, it’s still good to get away on a regular vacation. We found the break from the RV to be refreshing and likely will energize us more for our travels ahead down the “road” a piece. Now to figure out how I can put a rain shower in the motorhome.

Check out the rest of our pictures from the cruise.