Explora Journeys is looking to scale up its UK team as it heads towards its target of six ships by 2028. 

The search is on for an executive director here, which the line’s president Anna Nash says will be a “360-degree commercial role solely devoted to the UK market”. 

“This new role will be responsible for coming back with the full picture for us at HQ, driving the results, ironing out any issues and saving time when the market needs something, essentially acting as the bridge between the UK and head office in Geneva,” Nash explains.

The luxury lifestyle brand of the MSC Group has also just started looking for a sales director, luxury accounts for the UK. “It’s not necessarily someone from within cruise, it could be someone from the luxury travel or hotel space,” she adds. “The idea is to proactively engage agents who haven’t traditionally sold cruise, those land-based travel specialists who might currently think cruise isn’t right for their clientele.

“Priti [Mehta, head of sales, UK & Ireland] has done an incredible job since launch, and her team are doing a phenomenal job now. But so much of that work can be reactive at this stage to help the existing partners they have built relationships with, so this new role is more outward-facing, looking out for those agencies who haven’t yet engaged with us and asking: why not? What do they need? What’s holding them back? And how can we support them?”

In many ways, it’s a role that’s more aligned with how hotels operate, as Nash agrees: “I think this is what we’re bringing to the cruise space: something that feels new, modern, and relevant to the luxury travel conversation. I felt these positions were important to show the UK market that we’re very serious and that we’re growing the market. You will see other new hires next year in terms of sales positions in the UK too.”

Nash adds she’s also keen to set up a global advisory board of agents, which will include UK advisors, and is hopefully set to launch in the first half of 2026. 

All this, Nash says, further cements both the importance of the UK market, and the role of advisors in the line’s success. “Travel advisors and trade partners are central to our success: their success is our success,” she says.

“Agents’ belief in our vision has been incredible, and it’s important we listen to and support them.”

“Many agents have been with us since before the first ship was built. Their belief in our vision has been incredible, and it’s important we listen to and support them. I have spent much of the first 10 months of my role with Explora Journeys thanking them for their support – and I will continue to do that.”

She emphasises the commitment to getting agents onboard for what the brand calls “insider first looks” will remain crucial as the line grows. 

“We want agents to experience our ships first-hand. We offer allocations so they can sail, understand the product, and sell with confidence. It’s not just selling a cruise: it’s about communicating a new way to experience the ocean.”

A strong suite of resources have also been key, Nash says, with constant tweaks being made to offer helpful sales tools and information.

“We’ve got a whole suite of really beautiful new imagery that is very untypical of the cruise industry, very pared back, very tonally beautiful, and agents can access all of that and more,” she adds. “There have been many updates to our B2B platform, so it’s much easier for our partners to use. We’re also upstaffing our call centres to make sure phones get answered, and a toolkit for new-to-cruise agents will also be in place soon.” 

New focus 

Next stop for Nash is Ireland, where the brand plans to make a big splash. “Myself, Priti and the team, will be there to speak with agents, overnighting them in a hotel, giving them brand updates and getting to know what they need, as we see great potential there.”

Moves like this – a China launch also took place this year – are essential, if Explora Journeys is to fill six ships. The scale of its ambition was made clear this week with an impressive “triple ceremony”, held at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa, including the float-out of Explora III (joining the fleet in 2026); the coin ceremony for Explora IV; and the steel cutting for Explora V, both of which will be delivered in 2027. A final ship Explora VI will join in 2028. 

It’s all part of a €3.5 billion investment representing what Explora Journey says is a long-term commitment to “redefining ocean travel,” and also to the Italian shipbuilding industry, with Fincantieri building all six vessels. Nash also highlights how the focus is on getting these ocean ships right, rather than thinking about any diversionary developments such as expedition or river. 

Naturally, scaling up hasn’t been without its challenges too. “We have had 75 new HQ roles filled already this year. It’s about bringing fresh talent and ideas while supporting growth in every market,” she recaps. “The exponential growth of the past year has meant we had to really refine how we train and upskill our teams quickly. Training someone [in the call centre] fully takes around six weeks, for example,” Nash explains. “There’s so much detail, from our evolving itineraries to the many updates, that onboarding is an intensive process.” 

Explora Journeys views the customer journey as so crucial, that one of the standout figures in this element of the business was honoured as godmother for the coin ceremony of Explora IV. Caroline Cooney-Hurrell, who is customer journey strategist for the line, was given the honour “in recognition of her steadfast commitment and dedication to the brand over the past five years”. 

As Nash explains, Cooney-Hurrell played a key role in establishing the Explora Experience Centre operations, having led the call centre since the brand’s inception, and recently moving to a key role alongside Nash. “This year, with no new ship launch, is a perfect opportunity to work on perfecting the guest journey and iron out any glitches – from website booking issues to app enhancements – so that we’re ready for the rapid growth ahead,” Nash explains.

Teams have been flexing, stretching and growing in offices and on ships around the world. With sailings on Explora I and II reaching full capacity this summer, the onboard teams have shown remarkable resilience, Nash adds. “We’ve managed to maintain exceptional service levels despite the increased guest numbers. It’s one thing to talk about service; it’s another to consistently deliver it, and we are seeing NPS scores of 80,” she shares proudly. “And we’re proud that many guests are now repeat, which is a great achievement in the two years we have been sailing.”

“This diversity enriches the onboard atmosphere in a way I don’t think other brands have managed. It’s something we’re very proud of.”
 

She adds she is also proud of how mixed the guest profile has become onboard too, something likely to continue varying with that launch in China. “Our guest mix is truly international and this diversity enriches the onboard atmosphere in a way I don’t think other brands have managed. It’s something we’re very proud of. I think this is also because we’ve had the backing of MSC,” Nash explains. “We’ve already got sales channels to tap into. So, while this is a new product and brand, there have been many ways in which we’re not starting from scratch.”

Brand watch

She says the scale of MSC’s backing is a helpful point of difference too in the face of cruise intentions from among land-based hospitality brands such as Aman – where Nash worked prior to Explora Journeys – Ritz-Carlton (which just launched a third ship); and Four Seasons Yachts, which has just appointed Ben Trodd as chief executive officer.

Trodd also previously worked for both Aman, and prior to that spent more than 25 years at Four Seasons. As he prepares Four Seasons Yachts for a 2026 debut, he has yet more in common with Nash – both brands’ ships are being built by Fincantieri. However, Four Seasons I – the first of two ships announced as part of the Four Seasons Yachts collection – is much smaller, with just 95 suites, whereas Explora’s ships will tend to have around 463 suites. 

“When the water in the harbour rises, all boats rise. These brands help elevate cruising’s appeal and bring luxury travel to new audiences.” 

She welcomes the arrival of these brands though: “When the water in the harbour rises, all boats rise,” she said. “These brands help elevate cruising’s appeal and bring luxury travel to new audiences. But we’re backed by MSC, the world’s largest shipping group, as well as being nimble and family-run – that means quick decisions, deep maritime expertise, and a passion for the sea that’s unmatched. We know the ocean better than anyone,” Nash stresses. “It’s our world.”

While Explora Journeys may have huge backing, growth still comes with challenges and the speed of the scale-up is breath taking.

As Nash approaches her one-year anniversary with Explora Journeys, she reflects on some key milestones with deserved pride. “The volume of growth has been phenomenal. But more than that, it’s the brand awareness, the team’s dedication, and the consistent delivery of service that stands out for me. But genuinely, my true reward comes from guest feedback. Seeing staff recognized by name in guest surveys, hearing personal stories of exceptional service – that’s the ultimate success.”