EXPLORA V

Explora V’s Restaurants, Most of Them in the Fare

Most of Explora V’s restaurants are included in the fare, and the two that charge are the ones built around a chef. Among the included options, Marble & Co. Grill is a contemporary steakhouse where you watch the chefs prepare premium cuts in an open kitchen, alongside pan-Asian, French-influenced and poolside dining.

The two worth planning for are Anthology, where rotating guest chefs bring a different concept each voyage, and Chef Table, a single table for an intimate meal shaped around your own palate. Both carry a cover charge, and Chef Table needs booking in advance.

Northern Summers From Copenhagen, Mediterranean Winters

From May to August Explora V is based in Copenhagen, sailing Norway and the Baltic. Her Norway programme runs 7-night round-trips in July and August, and 15- and 19-night round-trips in May and June that take in the Baltic too. In July and August there are also 14-night one-ways ending in Stockholm or Southampton. Calls change between departures, but Bergen, Nordfjordeid and Flam are among the fjord stops. Her Baltic sailings are 6- and 7-night one-ways from Copenhagen to Stockholm and 14-night round-trips from Copenhagen. You might see Tallinn, Helsinki or Visby along the way.

In August she also leaves Copenhagen on 28- and 38-night transatlantic voyages that end in New York or Quebec City. Ports vary, and Reykjavik, Oban and Stornoway are typical of the North Atlantic stops. Crossings like these sit in our repositioning cruises search. In December, January, March and April she switches to 7-night one-ways in the Western Mediterranean between Barcelona and Rome, with some Barcelona departures ending in Lisbon instead. Stops differ from one sailing to the next; Ajaccio, Villefranche for Nice, Valletta and Palma de Mallorca are among them.

Selected sailings leave from Southampton, which most of Britain reaches by rail or road, and the 14-night one-ways that end there bring you home by sea. Wherever else she sails from, and for the flight home after a crossing to New York or Quebec City, we book the flights, the hotel either side and the transfers with the cruise as one holiday. Her sister ships include Explora VI. The line’s other ships, including Explora I and its sisters, are on our Explora Journeys page.

Whisky, Wine and Open-Air Bars on Explora V

Explora V’s bars lean towards slow, grown-up evenings, with a whisky room that has its own humidor, a dedicated wine bar and a pool deck that turns into a cinema. The Malt Whiskey Bar, tucked within the ship’s central lounge, pairs a curated selection of whiskies, rare bottles among them, with a walk-in humidor, cigar guidance and an outdoor terrace. The Cellar pours Old World classics beside New World favourites and select rarities.

After dark the Conservatory Pool Bar, a sheltered poolside lounge by day, becomes an open-air cinema under the stars. Entry to her bars and lounges is free, and drinks are included in the fare, apart from an ultra-exquisite selection sold separately and the wines at The Cellar.

Is Explora V a Luxury Cruise?

Explora V is a luxury ship in the way that matters day to day: most of her restaurants, as well as coffee and afternoon tea, come with the fare, and In Suite Dining serves a range of cuisines at any hour. What carries a charge is the chef-led dining; the drinks poured in her bars are included in the fare, apart from an ultra-exquisite selection and The Cellar.

Explora V Cabins and Deck Plans

Every one of Explora V’s rooms is a suite, so the choice is which suite category and where it sits. Her cabins and deck plans are worth opening if you want a suite close to the adults-only pool on Deck 12 or the open-air bar on Deck 14.

Cruise1st is one of the UK’s leading cruise specialists, and we know Explora Journeys’ all-suite ships and the waters they sail. To see Explora V’s departures beside the line’s other sailings, start with our luxury cruise holidays.