Explora Journeys Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 11: December 22, 2025

Day 11 on Explora Journeys and we are, once again, pulling into another port. If you’ve been following along from the beginning, you already know this cruise has been very port-heavy. In fact, since we left PortMiami on December 12, we’ve had exactly two sea days – both right at the start. Since then, it’s basically been wake up, port, repeat.

And this is where people’s cruise opinions really split 50/50.

Some people absolutely love sea days. Sleep late, go to trivia, nap, sit by the pool, eat, nap again, eat some more. No schedule. No alarms. No “we need to be off the ship by 8am.” Just plenty of doing nothing all day.

Others want ports. They want to wake up somewhere new every morning, get off the ship, explore, take excursions, and see places they’ve never been before. A sea day to them is just a day you’re not going anywhere.

Both styles have their place.

Too many sea days in a row, especially on a ship where daytime activities are… let’s say “limited,” can get boring pretty fast. On the flip side, a cruise that’s nothing but ports can feel exhausting. Early mornings, lots of walking, and very little downtime.

Personally, I like a mix. A few solid sea days balanced with ports that are actually worth getting off the ship for. And to Explora’s credit, this itinerary has delivered some genuinely unique stops that bigger ships simply can’t do. Les Trois Ilets earlier in the cruise is a perfect example. First time there for me, and it turned out to be stunning.

Today though, we woke up in Scarborough, Tobago, which is part of Trinidad and Tobago, and this is a port I’ve actually visited recently. I was here just a few weeks ago on Holland America Line’s Rotterdam, so I already knew what kind of day this was going to be.

Scarborough is very much one of those ports where you either:

1. Stay onboard and enjoy the ship
2. Book a shore excursion
3. Or wander around on your own and very quickly question your decision-making skills

If you’re heading out solo like I usually do, expectations need to be set very appropriately. This is not a “cute little town to explore.” This is not a “let’s just walk around for hours” kind of place.

Before getting into what I did today, let’s talk a little about Scarborough itself.

Scarborough is the capital of Tobago, the smaller island to Trinidad. English is spoken everywhere, which makes things easy, and the local currency is the Trinidad and Tobago dollar, though US dollars are accepted at some spots.

Economically, this is not a wealthy area, and that becomes obvious almost immediately. Tobago relies heavily on tourism, but Scarborough itself doesn’t really benefit from that in the same way resort areas do. You’ll see crumbling infrastructure, dilapidated neighborhoods, and a lot of people just trying to get by living life they only way they know how.

Is it unsafe? Not really. But it’s also not a place where I’d recommend wandering aimlessly too far from port without a plan.

There’s no fancy cruise terminal here. When the ship docks, you are basically dropped directly into town. Once you step off the ship, you are in it. There’s a small area near the pier with a few vendors, but that’s about it.

Security is present near the ship, but it thins out very quickly. This is one of those ports where the transition from “cruise bubble” to real life happens in about ten steps.

Shore Excursions in Scarborough, Tobago

If you’re coming to Scarborough and want to actually enjoy your day, booking a ship-sponsored shore excursion is an absolute must. This is not a port where I’d recommend winging it unless you know exactly what you’re doing.

The most popular excursions here usually include:

• Beach breaks to places like Pigeon Point, which is the best-known beach on the island
• Island tours that take you away from Scarborough and into more scenic parts of Tobago
• Rainforest and waterfall tours
• Snorkeling
• Cultural tours

If you want to see the nice parts of Tobago, an excursion is absolutely worth it.

Things to Do Near the Port in Scarborough, Tobago

If you do decide to head out on your own, just know what you’re getting into. There’s not much within walking distance, and what is there is very local, very gritty, and very real.

This is not a tourist town. It’s not charming. It’s not scenic. It’s just… life.

You can wander a bit, but this is not somewhere I’d suggest spending hours exploring solo, especially if you’re uncomfortable being far outside the typical cruise environment.

If you saw a strip of beach from the ship and said to yourself, “Hey, let’s just go to that beach over there,” forget it.  There really is no shore, as the water comes right up to the seawall at high tide.  There are no facilities here and the beach is often times riddled with trash.  It’s not suitable for swimming and definitely not a place you’d plan a beach day around.

For real beaches, you need transportation. Tobago does have beaches –  you’re just not getting to them without getting on a taxi or excursion.

Wandering Around Scarborough, Tobago

I was really in no rush to get off the ship today, and honestly, there wasn’t much calling my name ashore anyway. Scarborough isn’t exactly loaded with things I’m dying to revisit, and after wandering around here a few weeks ago, I pretty much hit my quota for this port. So today’s plan was simple. Get off the ship, stretch my legs, walk over to that little waterfront area not far from the pier, have a cigar, get some sun, and call it a day.

Docked right next to Explora I was a ship that immediately caught my attention – Logos Hope. Built in 1973, she looks… well… tired. Very tired. From the outside, she honestly looks like she’s had a long life, seen a lot of miles, and is probably dreaming of retirement. She’s only about two years younger than me, and if I’m being honest, neither of us are winning any beauty contests these days. My first thought was, please tell me this is not a cruise ship full of vacationers.

Curiosity got the best of me, so I did a little digging.

Turns out, Logos Hope is anything but a cruise ship. She’s operated by a Christian nonprofit organization and travels the world as the “largest floating book fair on the planet,” carrying more than 5,000 different books onboard. The ship visits ports all over the globe, often in developing countries, with the goal of increasing access to education, knowledge, and learning resources. The books are sold at very low prices, and in many places, they’re books people simply wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

The ship herself has an interesting past. Before becoming Logos Hope, she sailed under several names and roles, including time spent as a passenger ferry. She was eventually acquired, refitted, and repurposed for this mission, and today she’s crewed almost entirely by volunteers from dozens of different countries who pay their own way to live and work onboard for months or even years at a time.

Once I stepped off the gangway, there were Logos Hope volunteers right there with signs, inviting Explora passengers to come onboard and check it out. After reading up on them before heading ashore, I chatted briefly with one of the volunteers, who explained what they do and how long they’ve been sailing with the organization. I’ll say this – the passion is real. These folks genuinely believe in what they’re doing.

That said… religion and me are like oil and vinegar. I can absolutely appreciate the mission, the educational outreach, and the dedication of the people involved, but I also didn’t want to potentially get into a situation where I’d be getting a side of evangelism with my book browsing. So instead of going onboard, I made a donation via PayPal to support their efforts and called it a day. Support the cause because I genuinely found it to be a good one, but skip the pitch.

After that, I wandered over to the so-called “beach” area near the ship, lit up a Cuban, soaked in a little sun, and thought, what the hell, let’s wander downtown some more. I was kind of determined to see just how far inland you’d have to go before finding what someone might consider the “nice” part of Scarborough.

Short answer: I didn’t find it.

I walked pretty far. What I did find was a slightly more commercial area that felt busier and a bit more developed, but even that was surrounded by neighborhoods that were rough around the edges. And this really reinforces something I’ve said before – Scarborough is not a tourist town. This is where people live. When you step off the ship here, you’re stepping directly into someone else’s everyday life.

You’re in their streets. You’re walking where they shop. You’re seeing how they get by. And for some people, that can be a bit of a shock.

The streets were packed with people. Tables and makeshift stalls were set up well beyond the port area, with locals selling whatever they could – food, household items, random goods – clearly just trying to make a living. Poverty here is not subtle. It’s right in front of you, and it’s very real.

Near the port, there’s a KFC and a Church’s Texas Fried Chicken, which are basically magnets for crew members looking for comfort food and a taste of home. Beyond that, everything is local. No scenery. No charm. Just life happening.

After about two hours, I’d had my fill. I headed back to the ship, had a drink, and just relaxed on the verandah watching the sun set.

Scarborough, Tobago Walk Around Video

Check out this video I did a few weeks ago as a Facebook Live wile walking around Scarborough, Tobago.  This video is not high quality as it was taken from my Ray-Ban Meta glasses and broadcast live on Facebook.  Keep in mind my commentary is raw and I don’t really have a filter at times!  But this video should give you an idea of what it’s like around the downtown port area.

Dinner at Marble & Company Grill on Explora Journeys

When it came time for dinner, I headed right back to my happy place onboard after a somewhat disappointing dinner at Sakura last night – Marble & Company Grill, the ship’s steakhouse. At this point in the cruise, I’ve eaten here enough times that I fully trust the servers, so tonight I did what I love doing most… I told him to just pick dinner for me.

He kicked things off with the Jumbo lump crab meat salad – pomelo, avocado, roasted peanuts, coconut, and miang sauce.  There were legit chunks of lump crab throughout, and the dressing had a nice tang to it that kept everything light and fresh.

Next up was the Lobster Brioche, which is basically a lobster roll without calling itself a lobster roll. Butter-toasted brioche, a solid portion of lobster, aji amarillo aioli, spring onions, mustard cress. The aioli didn’t overpower the lobster, the brioche added that buttery richness, and overall it just worked.

Two starters in and things were off to a very strong start.

For the main course, he brought out the grilled ribeye, cooked a perfect medium just like I asked. It was well seasoned, not overly fatty – just a properly cooked piece of meat.

Dessert was easy, because at this point there was really only one option left for me to try besides the cheese plate – the chocolate mousse. Rich and smooth it was a great way to wrap up the meal without completely sending me into a food coma… although I was definitely close.

After eating here multiple times throughout the cruise, I’m now firmly convinced of something: the quality of the meat, the preparation, and even the presentation style of the steaks here are virtually identical to what you get at Butcher’s Cut on MSC’s mainline ships. Honestly, it’s hard to tell them apart. Even the decor in the restaurant feels incredibly similar.

And that’s not a complaint as Butcher’s Cut is one of my favorite spots on MSC.

Evening Entertainment: Nathan James

Next up was the evening’s entertainment in the ship’s main showroom, and tonight’s headliner was Nathan James.

Now, if you’re sitting there thinking, “Who?” don’t worry, you weren’t alone. I had the exact same reaction when I saw his name on the schedule. But after doing a little digging (and then actually watching the show), it turns out this guy is very much the real deal.

Nathan got his start in local theater before popping up on UK reality TV, first on ITV’s Superstar back in 2012, which was basically a nationwide search for the lead in Jesus Christ Superstar. He followed that up with a stint on The Voice UK in 2013, and from there the folks over at Trans-Siberian Orchestra caught wind of his vocals, and that’s where he went big-time.

Before hitting the cruise ship circuit.

These days, he’s bouncing between ships in the Explora fleet, performing on both Explora I and Explora II, and he even mentioned he’s already booked for the still-under-construction Explora III.

As for the show itself, it was very much ’80s rock. But then, just when you think you’ve got him figured out, he throws in an Andrew Lloyd Webber Broadway number. Yes, he can do rock. Yes, he can channel Tina Turner. Yes, he can absolutely handle Broadway. All while wearing tight pants and rocking long hair he claims he’s been growing out since he was 14.

The showroom was packed, which is a big change from the previous segment of this cruise. And thankfully, the audience behavior improved too. Still some chatter in the back but nowhere near last night’s chaos. By the end of the show he had people on the dance floor.

Talent-wise, this guy sounds like someone you’d expect to hear at a legit rock concert, not on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Even if AC/DC does absolutely nothing for you, the vocals alone are impressive enough to appreciate.

He will be back again on Christmas Day. And that’s probably one show worth adjusting my schedule around.

Since this was a later show and it wrapped up around 11pm, I called it a night.  We’re currently sailing towards yet another port of call, and yet another new on for me, Fort-de-France, Martinique where Explora I is scheduled to arrive at 9am in the morning.  More on that tomorrow!  As always, thanks for following along.

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