On Location: "Canada is breaking through": Explora's Anna Nash on a fast-growing fleet & fresher kind of luxury

For a brand that only launched its first ship in 2023, Explora Journeys is moving fast. 

On a clear spring day on March 9, PAX was on the ground at Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa, Italy to mark three pivotal stages in the brand's fleet build: the float out of Explora IV, the coin ceremony for Explora V and the steel cutting of Explora VI. 

Equal parts maritime tradition and corporate milestone, the ceremony included a blessing by a priest alongside the formal shipbuilding rites and speeches from Italian dignitaries. 

With two ships already sailing at capacity and Explora III on track for a July 2026 delivery, the ceremony marked the first time all six ships in the brand's fleet have existed simultaneously, whether at sea or somewhere in the construction pipeline. 

For Anna Nash, president of Explora Journeys, the milestone carried a deep significance for the brand.

"Today is the moment when all of our ships simultaneously are in some form of their life cycle," Nash told PAX. "We have two sailing, four in construction."

The full six-ship fleet represents a €3.5 billion investment and is on track to be complete by 2028, with Explora IV and V entering service in 2027 and Explora VI following the year after. 

Nash said the pace of Explora Journeys’ ship launches is part of the brand's story. 

"Six ships gives us the opportunity to cover a variety of destinations across the world," she said. 

"The newness of the brand and the fact that we've got the ships coming in quite quick succession really gives us an opportunity to make a mark, be a challenger brand and change perceptions about ocean travel."

A category of their own

Ahead of the ceremony, PAX sat down with Nash to talk about where Explora Journeys fits in the increasingly crowded ultra-luxury ocean space — and where it doesn't.

"We're not a legacy luxury cruise brand that's been operating for 10-20 years with very traditional white glove service," Nash said. 

"We're more modern, like a boutique hotel. We're a floating hotel where our address is the ocean. We sit at that nexus between land and ocean for the first time."

That positioning is deliberate and backed by the Aponte-Vago family, who have owned and operated MSC Cruises for decades. 

"Having operated MSC Cruises for so long, the family really understands that intimacy is what was lacking in the market," Nash said.

As hotel brands like Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons move into ocean travel with smaller, more intimate vessels, the comparison to Explora only goes so far, according to Nash.

"I think they'll definitely help us with reframing ocean travel," she says.

The distinction though, she said, comes down to scale. 

"There are smaller ships with fewer guests, but you realize that it's too intimate and you don't have the privacy or the choice of amenities," Nash said.

"I've heard from some of our travel partners that they're worried about how to sell those smaller ships because they’re almost too intimate, especially when you've got such high profile clientele."

According to Nash, Explora's ships offer one of the highest space-to-guest ratios in the industry, but they're large enough to deliver the breadth of choice that well-travelled guests expect. 

“There's always a sun bed, there's always a nook that you can find that is your own. You're never fighting for space,” she said. 

“If you want to be social, there's always something going on. If you want somewhere that's quieter, you can also find it. We think that's the perfect balance that we have.”

A growing market

Advisors, Nash said, have a real opportunity with Explora Journeys — if they sell it right.

"It is important that they don't sell us as a legacy brand, but as a fresher, more contemporary new brand," she said. 

She noted that Explora has invested in building its trade relationships from the start, equipping partners with tools to reach guests who may have avoided ocean travel in the past.

A significant share of Explora’s guests are entirely new to cruising. 

"We have a great opportunity with the first time cruisers. Over 30 per cent of our guests are first time, not just our brand, but to cruise in general. And that number just keeps growing and growing and growing," Nash said.

On the sales side, the longer average stay translates directly to stronger commissions. 

"Our guests stay with us for a lot longer than they would on land, so just naturally, the commission is much more appealing than perhaps selling a hotel," Nash noted.

Demand is tracking well. 

Nash said the 2029 World Journey exceeded expectations, and she's anticipating another sellout for the upcoming Mediterranean season, which she noted is resonating particularly well with Canadians. 

Canada is now one of the brand's top four markets globally. "North America has always been very strong for us, but we're really seeing Canada break through," Nash said.

On global political uncertainty, Nash acknowledged a brief slowdown but attributed much of it to advisors managing clients already mid-itinerary through disrupted regions. 

"A lot of our agents' time was not spent on selling but actually spent on getting clients back home," she said, adding that the sales impact only lasted only a day or two so far. 

She also pointed to a practical advantage of Explora Journeys' ocean travel format: 

"One of the great benefits of our industry versus hotels is that we can shift our destination as needed," she said.

What's next

Explora III is set to be delivered ahead of schedule in July, followed by a Mediterranean Prelude Journey and a naming ceremony on August 1 at MSC's new cruise terminal in Barcelona. 

“Cruising still has this reputation of being very rigid. You're stuck to a schedule. It’s a very hurried experience with too many people. None of that exists with Explora Journeys,” Nash said. 

“It's a very slow, unhurried, very freeing way of travel, and that's what we're really trying to get across: the day is yours.”

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