Explora Journeys cruise policies
Explora Journeys Policies: Deposits, Final Payment, Cancellation, Gratuities, Dress Code and Age Rules
Every booking rule that affects your wallet or your packing list, on one page: what you pay when you book, when the balance is due, what it costs to cancel, what is already in the fare, what to wear in the evening and who can sail. Figures are Explora's own, from the booking terms for guests in the United States.
Deposit
Explora holds a suite on option, then confirms the booking once the deposit is paid. The deposit is a percentage of the total journey fare, or the smaller amount of a reduced-deposit promotion when one is running.
| Cruise length | Deposit |
|---|---|
| Every suite category | 25% of the total journey fare per person |
| Reduced-deposit promotions (when offered) | The promotional amount, sometimes as low as 10% |
Good to know
- Deposit due within 5 days of the option when you book 121 days or more before departure, within 3 days from 120 to 31 days out, and within 1 day inside 30 days; an unpaid option cancels itself.
- Grace period: book more than 365 days before departure and you can cancel without any fee for 10 days after the booking is created.
- Outside the grace period the deposit is refundable less Explora's administration fee until the percentage schedule starts 150 days before departure.
- Explora's Early Booking Benefit applies to journeys booked about a year or more in advance; the value varies by journey.
Final payment
The balance must reach Explora by the deadline below or the booking can be cancelled without notice and charged under the cancellation schedule.
Standard schedule
| Cruise length | Balance due |
|---|---|
| All suites except Ocean Residences | 90 days before departure |
| Ocean Residences | 150 days before departure |
Good to know
- Book inside 90 days (150 days for an Ocean Residence) and the full fare is due at booking.
- Once the full fare is paid the journey fare cannot be changed, apart from government fees and the fuel and currency adjustments the terms allow.
- Destination Experiences, pre- and post-journey hotels and flights are booked and paid separately from the journey fare.
Cancellation charges
Charges are a percentage of the journey fare and depend on when Explora receives your cancellation, by phone or in writing. Taxes and port charges are refunded. A no-show or leaving the ship early counts as a cancellation on departure day at 100%.
Standard-deposit bookings, Ocean Terrace, Grand Terrace and Penthouse suites
Summary of the schedule in Explora's booking terms; the exact table is printed on your confirmation.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Any length | Within 10 days of booking, if booked more than 365 days out | No charge (grace period) |
| Any length | 151 days or more | $200 per person administration fee, returned as a Future Journey Credit valid 12 months |
| Any length | 121 to 150 days | 15% of the journey fare |
| Any length | 91 to 120 days | 25% |
| Any length | 61 to 90 days | 50% |
| Any length | 31 to 60 days | 75% |
| Any length | 30 days or fewer | 100%, no refund |
Ocean Residences and the Owner's Residence
Summary of the schedule in Explora's booking terms.
| Cruise length | Days before sailing | Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Any length | 201 days or more | $400 per person administration fee, returned as a Future Journey Credit |
| Any length | 151 to 200 days | 25% of the journey fare |
| Any length | 121 to 150 days | 45% |
| Any length | 91 to 120 days | 65% |
| Any length | 61 to 90 days | 85% |
| Any length | 60 days or fewer | 100%, no refund |
Good to know
- Reduced-deposit bookings follow Explora's reduced-deposit cancellation schedule, which carries a $400 per person administration fee in the early window; we show it to you before you book.
- A cancellation must come from you or from SmartCruiser as your agent and reach the Explora Experience Centre; tickets already issued are returned with it.
- If the second guest cancels, the remaining guest pays the single supplement in force at the time.
- Refunds go back to the original payment method, or to SmartCruiser when we made the payment for you, and we pass them straight on.
- Explora can waive the charges when unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances at the destination make the journey impossible.
Gratuities
Explora's fare is all-inclusive on board: gratuities to all crew, meals, alcoholic and soft drinks, mineral water, Wi-Fi, port charges and entertainment are in the journey fare. There is nothing to prepay and nothing added for service.
| Stateroom | Daily gratuity |
|---|---|
| All suites, every journey | Included in the fare |
| Destination Experience guides and drivers | At your discretion, not included |
Good to know
- An experience fee applies to Anthology and the Chef's Kitchen, and a reserve list of wines and some spirits carry a charge.
- Spa treatments are extra; ask whether a gratuity is added when you book one on board.
Dress code
Explora has no formal dress code and no formal nights: think resort elegant, with a few venue rules in the evening.
Daytime
Resort casual anywhere on board; swimwear and robes stay at the pools and in the suite, never in restaurants, indoor bars or lounges.
Evening, resort elegant
Linen, tailored trousers, dresses, collared shirts and loafers. No shorts or sleeveless T-shirts at Anthology and Fil Rouge in the evening.
Evening, restaurant rules
No baseball caps or sportswear in the evening at Anthology, Fil Rouge, Sakura, Marble & Co. Grill and Med Yacht Club.
Dress Your Best nights
| Cruise length | Formal nights |
|---|---|
| Any length | 0 |
House rules
- Swimwear and bathrobes are not allowed in restaurants, indoor bars and lounges at any time.
- Shorts and sleeveless T-shirts are not allowed in the evening at Anthology and Fil Rouge.
- Baseball caps and sportswear are not allowed in the evening in the main restaurants.
Age rules
Explora welcomes children with a few rules that depend on whether the journey touches a U.S. port. Age is counted on the day of departure.
Minimum age to sail without a parent or guardian
| Departure | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Journeys that include a U.S. port: minimum age to occupy a suite alone | 21 |
| Journeys with no U.S. port: minimum age to occupy a suite alone | 18 |
Stateroom assignment
A minor (under 21 on journeys with a U.S. port, under 18 otherwise) may not stay in a suite without an adult. Minors over 12 may use an adjacent suite to their parents' suite in the same muster station; minors under 12 share a connecting suite with their parents and must be supervised at all times. An adult travelling with more than two minors may take a connecting suite for them.
Infants
| Sailing | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Most journeys | 6 months on the departure date |
| Journeys with more than two consecutive sea days | 12 months |
Drinking age
| Departure or destination | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Journeys sailing from or based in North America (United States, Canada, Caribbean, Central America), whatever the guest's nationality | 21 |
| All other itineraries | 18 |
Good to know
- The drinking age does not change mid-journey.
- Guests who will be 23 weeks and 6 days pregnant at any point during the journey cannot sail; earlier in pregnancy a medical certificate is required.
- Explora seeks medical advice before confirming a booking for a child up to 12 months old.
- The Helios pool is adults only; children have their own program and spaces on board.
How SmartCruiser handles the fine print for you
- We put your 90-day (or 150-day) final payment date on our calendar and remind you before it, so a booking never cancels by accident.
- Before final payment we watch for Explora's Early Booking Benefit and reduced-deposit offers and move your booking to a better one when Explora allows it.
- We handle cancellations, date changes and suite moves with the Explora Experience Centre for you and tell you the exact charge before you decide.
- Flights, hotels, Destination Experiences and travel protection go on your invoice if you want them.
- SmartCruiser adds bonus onboard credit on top of Explora's own offers on every journey. Ask for it when you call 1-800-444-1560.
Last verified October 13, 2026 against Explora Journeys's own pages: Booking terms and conditions (U.S.), Booking FAQ, Cancellation schedule summary (Scott and Thomas, March 2025). These deposit, payment and cancellation terms are the ones Explora Journeys publishes in its booking terms for the United States. Explora shows its cancellation schedules as tables on the booking confirmation; the standard-deposit schedule is summarized below and the reduced-deposit and Residence schedules differ. Policies change; the cruise line's ticket contract and the terms on your booking confirmation govern.
Questions
Explora Journeys policy FAQ
How much is the deposit on an Explora journey?
When is final payment due?
What does it cost to cancel?
Are gratuities included on Explora?
Is there a dress code?
Can children sail on Explora?
What is the drinking age on an Explora ship?
Can I change my booking to a reduced-deposit offer?
Ask a Explora Journeys specialist
Deposits, deadlines, cancellations and what to pack: one call and it is handled, with SmartCruiser's bonus onboard credit on your booking.