Explora II Cruise - February, 2026

Day 2 – Sea Day

Thursday, February 5

          Both my wife and I tend to go to bed fairly early (10ish) and then are inevitably up at like 3AM.  It's always interesting walking around a cruise ship in the wee hours of the morning.  Everything is dark, quiet, and peaceful and it sometimes feels like your own private yacht (or at least what I imagine having your own private yacht might be like!)

          TIP:  If you are an early riser and looking for coffee before the Crema Cafe opens (sometimes not until 7AM), there is a self-serve coffee machine available in the Emporium Marketplace.  As you are coming from the Conservatory, enter the through the doors on the left and you will see the machine immediately on your right.  We entered/exited through the doors on the right side (near the Pizza station) for the first couple of days and had no idea this existed.  (NOTE:  Coffee is also available 24 hrs through room service)

POOLS

          Let's take a look at the ship's four pools:

  • On Deck 5 is the Astern Pool and Bar
  • On Deck 10 is the Atoll Pool and Bar
  • On Deck 11 is the Conservatory Pool and Bar and two large whirlpools
  • On Deck 12 is two more large whirlpools and the Helios Pool and bar (which is Adults Only)
  • And on Deck 14 is an additional whirlpool near the Sky Bar

          Note about the pools: Yes, there are technically 4 of them.  However, one is 2.5 feet deep and one is 3.5 feet deep, which to me seems more like wading pools than what I think of as a traditional swimming pool.  The other two are over 5 deep though.  And good news: even on the four sea days, the pools were never crowded.  I also never once saw anyone in the hot tub on Deck 14.  The entire Sky Bar area seems to be very under-utilized.

          If you've looked at the Explora website and noticed this:

          ...you might be wondering where the 5th pool is located?  This took me a minute, too.  I thought it might be hidden or this was a typo.  But I finally figured out the Owners Residence on Deck 8 has its own infinity pool.  Advertising "5 heated pools" seems a little bit misleading to me.

 

 

 

 

 

         Our dinner this evening was at Med Yacht Club.  I seemed to have failed to take a single picture during our meal there, so that is a total food porn fail.  I promise to do better!

 

Final step count for Day 2: