Explora Journeys Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 9: December 20, 2025

Day 9 already, which honestly feels a little crazy considering how many stops we’ve made since leaving Miami, on this very port-intensive cruiseon Explora Journeys, Explora I. At this point we’ve hit La Romana, San Juan, St. Kitts, Les Trois-Îlets in Martinique, Bequia yesterday, and today we’re still in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, just on the main island this time instead of one of the smaller Grenadines.

Before getting into today, it’s worth nothing that something is about to change the dynamic onboard. Tomorrow we arrive in Bridgetown, Barbados, and that’s a turnover port for this sailing. Except for about 200 of us back-to-back cruisers, the majority of passengers will be disembarking and heading home, while a whole new batch will be boarding. And from what I’m hearing, that incoming group includes a significant number of kids, 100-plus under the age of 18.

Thoughts and prayers are appreciated at this time.

That’s definitely unusual for Explora Journeys, which generally skews very adult and very quiet, but it’s not unusual at all for a Christmas sailing. Families traveling over the holidays are a given, so we’ll see how that changes the onboard vibe. For those of us staying onboard, myself included, there’s nothing special required. Unlike back-to-back cruises in the U.S. where you’re forced off the ship to clear customs and re-board, here you just treat it like a normal port day. New faces show up, others disappear, and the cruise continues.

More on that whole process tomorrow.

Today, though, we’re still hanging around St. Vincent and the Grenadines. When Explora I departed Bequia last night, we didn’t go far at all. The ship cruised out just far enough offshore for shops, bars, and the casino to open, then essentially made a slow loop and came right back in to dock at Kingstown. If you looked at the AIS tracker, it really was a “go out, turn around, come right back in” kind of move.

For anyone who skipped Day 8, here’s a refresher on where we actually are.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is an independent nation in the eastern Caribbean that gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1979. English is the official language, driving is on the left, and the Eastern Caribbean Dollar is the official currency, though U.S. dollars are widely accepted. The country is made up of the main island of St. Vincent and a chain of smaller islands known as the Grenadines, which stretch south toward Grenada.

Bequia, where we were yesterday, is part of the Grenadines. It’s smaller and very much tied to sailing, yachting, and small-scale tourism. People live there because they want that lifestyle.

Kingstown is the complete opposite.

Kingstown sits on the main island of St. Vincent and is the capital city of the country. This is where government offices are located. This is where commerce happens. This is where people work, shop, commute, and live their everyday lives. It is not a resort town, it is not set up for tourists, and it is not trying to impress cruise passengers.

At all.

While Bequia does not have a port, which is why we had to use the ships’ tender boats to go to and from the city, Kingstown does. It has a commercial port, deeper water, and the ability to accommodate ships like Explora I safely alongside.

The difference between Bequia and Kingstown is immediate and obvious, as I’ll get into in a moment.

Bequia felt relaxed, safe, was absolutely beautiful, and felt almost almost untouched. Kingstown feels dense, gritty, busy, and very real. This is not a place where most people are catering to tourists, because tourists aren’t the priority here. Safety-wise, Bequia felt carefree. Kingstown is a place where you absolutely need situational awareness, and it’s not somewhere I’d recommend wandering without a plan.

Explora I docked right around 8am and guests were cleared to go ashore shortly after. I wasn’t in any rush today. Between yesterday’s beach time in Bequia and knowing exactly what kind of port Kingstown is, I stayed onboard for a bit and let the early crowds do their thing. I eventually headed ashore after noon, once things had settled down.

A lot of guests were off on organized shore excursions today, and this is one of those ports where excursions are a must. Kingstown is not a casual “wander around and see what happens” kind of place for most people. So let’s start with what cruise lines typically offer here.

Shore Excursions in Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines

If you’re visiting Kingstown on a cruise, these are pretty much the options you’ll usually see on the excursion list:

• La Soufrière Volcano tour – This is the big one. The island is home to La Soufrière, an active volcano that last erupted in April 2021. Tours typically take you through the volcanic region, past villages affected by ashfall, and to viewpoints where you can see the crater.
• Island highlights and scenic drives – These tours loop you around St. Vincent, stopping at small villages, botanical gardens, and historic sites. It’s a good way to see the island without dealing with navigation, taxis, or figuring out where you should and shouldn’t go.
• Botanical Gardens – St. Vincent has one of the oldest botanical gardens in the Western Hemisphere. This particular tour focuses on the island’s natural beauty and plant life rather than beaches or zip lines.
• Waterfalls and rainforest hikes – Several excursions focus on waterfalls, light hiking, and rainforest scenery. These usually involve uneven terrain, stairs, and the ungodly heat and humidity, so plan accordingly if you’re going to do one of these.
• Beaches – Kingstown is not known for great beaches, excursions will take you to better swimming spots farther from the port, often combined with lunch or a scenic drive.  You can also grab a ferry to… Bequia where we were yesterday to enjoy the beach there.  The ferry leaves from the same port cruise ships use.

Key takeaway here: if you want to really see St. Vincent, an excursion is the way to do it.

But, if you want to do it on your own, you definitely can.  But keep in mind, Kingstown is not a port I’d recommend wandering around unless you know exactly what you’re doing. This is a working city. People live here, commute here, shop here, and hustle here. It’s busy, congested, and not designed with tourists in mind.  If you do venture out on your own, the usual rules apply, stay close to the port, don’t wear jewelry or flashy watches, keep wallets in front pockets, and most importantly – be aware of your surroundings at all times.

There isn’t much in the way of tourist infrastructure, shopping, or attractions within easy walking distance. You’re not going to stumble into charming cafés or shopping streets like you might in other ports. This is one of those places where “just exploring” can quickly turn uncomfortable if you wander too far.

For most people, independent exploration here is more stress than it’s worth.

Oh, and speaking of that volcano… that eruption displaced thousands of residents, destroyed homes, covered large portions of the island in ash, and shut down daily life for weeks.

Even now, years later, the effects are still visible in parts of the island. Entire communities were forced to evacuate, livelihoods were disrupted, and recovery has been slow. It puts things into perspective quickly. This isn’t a manufactured cruise destination. This is a place where people live with real risks from nature, and where tourism is only one small piece of the overall picture.

Wandering Around Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines

When I finally headed out today, I really only had one thing on my to-do list: wander. It’s what I usually do anywhere I end up, and today was no different.

Once you step off the ship, you’re funneled into a very small little shopping area. We’re talking maybe half a dozen souvenir stalls and a tiny café, and that’s about it. And if you want to wash your hands before grabbing a coffee? There’s a hose along the fence. I wish I was kidding. I am not.

Once you exit the barbed-wire fence that marks the port area, you are immediately in the town. You go from ship to city in about ten steps.

Like I’ve said before, Kingstown is gritty. It’s dirty. It’s hardcore. And it’s all locals. I’m not sure if it was because it was a Saturday or if this is just how things are here, but the main street was absolutely wall-to-wall people. Locals were selling things out of the trunks of their cars and vans, off small tables, and sometimes just straight off the sidewalk… when there was a sidewalk. Most of the time you’re walking in the street, dodging the incredibly insane amount of traffic, watching where you step, and making sure you don’t get clipped by a car because crosswalks mean nothing.

People were EVERYWHERE. Drinking in the streets. Cooking food in the streets. Hanging out, talking, laughing, living their lives. And here’s the thing that surprised me the most: not one person bothered me. No one asked me to buy anything. No one tried to sell me a tour. No one asked for money. No one harassed me. I wasn’t asked if I needed a taxi once I left the port, which is good, because good luck actually getting one anyway once you exit.

I wandered into one area not far from the port, which you can see in the very low-quality walkaround video I posted below. It was packed with locals, wall to wall, drinking, partying, and clearly having the time of their lives. It felt a little intimidating at first, I won’t lie. That said, this is absolutely not a place I’d recommend being after dark, and I probably wouldn’t suggest older travelers head out here alone either. “Safe” is a relative term, and this area lives in a very gray zone.

Not far from the port there’s a KFC and a Subway, which are basically beacons for crew members looking for comfort food. And I have never, ever seen a busier KFC in my life. It was packed, and at times the line went straight out the door.

Now, I do want to be very clear about something. The poverty here is real. You are not going to see the beauty and charm that I talked about yesterday in Bequia. There are no scenic seaside walks. No beautiful beach bars. No postcard views. What you will see is the poorest of the poor. Homeless people. People living on the streets. Bars and food stalls that would never, ever pass any kind of health inspection.

I watched a guy chopping up meat that looked like it had been sitting out all day and throwing it straight onto a grill on the sidewalk to sell. I walked through what felt like a street bazaar straight out of a movie, where a narrow alley was packed on both sides with merchants selling anything and everything while people squeezed through shoulder to shoulder. On the main street, I saw a guy selling cans of SPAM. I saw people selling shampoo out of the backs of their cars.

It was surreal.

I only spent about an hour wandering around, but that hour was enough. It was worth seeing, if only to understand just how different life can be within the same country. Yesterday’s Bequia and today’s Kingstown could not be more different if they tried.

Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines Walk Around Video

Keep in mind, this video is not of the highest quality, as it was a Facebook Live taken via my Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.  Also note, it’s raw and unscripted and I don’t have a filter when it comes to language, but enjoy it anyway!

Dinner at Marble & Company on Explora Journeys

Before heading over to Marble & Company Grill for dinner, I decided to take a lap through the Emporium Marketplace, the ship’s buffet that really isn’t a buffet at all. Instead of people grabbing their own food and juggling plates, it’s set up as a collection of different stations where everything is freshly served to you.

The seafood section, appropriately named Ocean Pearls, had a beautiful display of fresh oysters, crab, and mussels all laid out on ice. Over at the rotisserie station, roasted chicken legs were stacked high on a massive skewer looking dangerously tempting. Everything looked great.

Since this was the last night onboard for a lot of guests, I figured the Emporium would be packed with people grabbing a relaxed dinner before heading back to pack. Surprisingly, it wasn’t nearly as busy as I expected.

Marble & Company Grill, on the other hand, was a completely different story.

It was busy, and my table was ready and waiting for me when I arrived. Unlike the past few nights, there were no extra off-menu appetizers or featured entrées being offered this evening, so it was the standard lineup.

I started with the slow-cooked pork belly served with baby carrots, orange glaze, and an aged apple vinegar reduction. This was absolutely fantastic. Crispy skin, tender pork that practically pulled apart when the fork touched it, and just the right balance of sweet and acidic from the glaze. A very strong start.

For the main course, my server recommended the sweet spice–grilled French lamb chops, seasoned with cinnamon, paprika, coriander, celery flakes, and cumin. He immediately pointed out something important though: these chops are thin. Not thick, double-cut chops, but thin ones. They normally come two per order, but he strongly suggested adding a third. He was right.

Three chops was the right call. Two would have felt more like an appetizer than a main course. Even though they were thin, they were incredibly tender, cooked to a perfect medium, and seasoned beautifully. I paired them with French fries (no judgment) and creamed spinach, which rounded things out nicely.

For dessert, he recommended the yuzu cheesecake with hibiscus-infused raspberries, and that was another win. Light, slightly tart, not overly sweet, and a great way to end the meal.

Once again, service was spot on, the food delivered, and Marble continues to be the place where I feel most at home dining onboard.

Evening Entertainment

When it came to entertainment this evening, the schedule included the traditional goodbye from the ship’s officers and entertainment team. I skipped that entirely, because… well… it definitely wasn’t goodbye for me. I’ve still got plenty of cruise left.

What I did make time for was the headlining show of the night, featuring vocalist and musician Shaun Perry.

Shaun is a seriously accomplished performer. He bounced effortlessly between pounding the keys on a Steinway grand piano and strumming his electric guitar, all while working his way through a setlist that spanned several generations of rock and pop.  He wrapped up the set with “Imagine” by John Lennon, which got a great response from the audience.

It was a fantastic performance and easily one of the better live music sets I’ve seen onboard so far. He won’t be part of the next segment of this sailing, so I’m really glad I caught him tonight.

Once his set ended, a DJ took over… and almost immediately the showroom cleared out.

I headed up to the Malt Whisky Bar for a nightcap, where a few drinking buddies were gathered for their goodbye cocktails since they’re heading home tomorrow. And then… things took a turn into way too much information territory when one of them casually announced that her husband was back in the room waiting because he had taken a “Mexican Viagra” about an hour earlier.

Yep. That happened.

We all had a good laugh, said our goodbyes, and it wasn’t long after that I called it a night myself.

We’re currently sailing toward our next port of call, Bridgetown, Barbados, where Explora I is scheduled to arrive at 8am. That’s a big day onboard with a lot of passenger turnover, so there will be plenty to talk about.

More on that tomorrow, and as always, thanks for following along.

Daily Schedule

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