The premium suites on Explora I have been the first to sell out, prompting the line to add a second Owner’s Residence suite to its third and fourth ships.

Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, Explora Journey’s chief executive Michael Ungerer (pictured left) said the ship’s largest suite, the Owner’s Residence, is repeatedly the first to sell out, followed by its Ocean Residences and Ocean Penthouses.

The line’s third and fourth ships, due to be delivered in 2026 and 2027, respectively, will be 90 metres longer than Explora I and Explora II to make space for LNG tanks.

Ungerer said the additional space will also be used to accommodate more premium suites in response to the demand.

“We could implement 44 more suites, but we will only add about a dozen because we want a second Owner’s Suite and then make the other 10-12 larger,” he said.

“To me, product development is really about optimising and not about maximising. It’s easy to maximise but we’ve seen from early booking patterns that the Owner’s Suite is sold out first, then the Ocean Residences, then the Ocean Penthouses and then all the other suites, so there are some early learnings that we will implement [on future ships].”