Shownotes
In this episode of the Luxury Travelers Podcast, Rodney George welcomes Neven Zdunic, General Manager of the Explora II cruise ship from Explora Journeys. Together, they explore the luxurious offerings of this new vessel, highlighting its unique features, luxury hospitality, personalized services, and commitment to sustainability to bring you the experience of an ocean state of mind. Get an insider's perspective on what makes the Explora II stand out as a luxury cruise.
IN THIS EPISODE:
- (00:00] What is Explora Journeys?
- (03:48) Neven's background in luxury hospitality
- (06:18) Explora II Ship Design and Amenities
- (09:15) Spacious luxury suites and cabins
- (11:09) Unique approach to staff as "hosts"
- (15:30) Diverse dining options and cuisine quality
- (21:00) What is the role of the MSC Foundation in Explora II?
- (22:10) Awards and accolades for Explora II
- (26:25) Commitment to guest feedback and improvement
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Luxury Experience: Explora II offers unparalleled guest space and personalized service, setting a new standard in luxury hospitality.
- Culinary Excellence: The ship boasts a variety of dining options, each offering an exceptional culinary experience.
- Sustainability Commitment: Explora Journeys is dedicated to reducing environmental impact, with future ships incorporating advanced sustainable technologies.
RESOURCES:
GUEST BIOGRAPHY:
Neven Zdunic, General Manager of Explora II, brings over 30 years of experience in the cruise industry. His expertise ensures that every guest enjoys a seamless and luxurious experience aboard Explora Journeys' newest ship.
Transcripts
So buckle up and prepare for a journey into the lap of luxury. Now, your host.
re finally getting around to [:And I happen to be here [00:01:00] with the general manager, my friend, Nevin Zunich. Zunich, Zunich, Zunich, yes,
Nevin: yes.
Rodney George: A little
Nevin: bit tricky. It's Croatian. It's Croatian. Yeah.
ng to do about that? Anyway. [:Nevin: Uh, welcome to the show. Thank you very much. And, uh, I'm very delighted to be here.
Honest, honestly, and, uh,
First of all, but I've been, [:Because Nevin is, is what's referred to here as the general manager [00:01:45] on a lot of ships is called the hotel manager, I believe, right?
, the job actually that, uh, [:Rodney George: Well, this ship runs, I mean, it, it seems seamless to me as a guest on the ship when I'm, when I walk around, when I dine, when I go to the various venues, it, it, it seems seamless and that's a real attribute to you.
And all those great [:Nevin: Yes, absolutely. Well, uh, just to give a brief explanation, what is my role? First of all, to ensure that every guest on a Explorer 2, uh, [00:02:30] having a seamless experience in luxury and personalized services that we are offering. Each day, uh, I oversees all the hotel operations.
[:Rodney George: To me as a guest, it's seamless. It's absolutely seamless.
Absolutely.
uld like to add as well that [:Rodney George: And you guys are truly, I mean, I know this isn't a very professional term, but they're killing it folks. They're killing it here. You just have to experience it yourself. So your background. Yeah. Where were you [00:04:00] before you ended up here on this beautiful new ship?
Nevin: Yes. Well, I start with this amazing, uh, family 30 years ago to work for them.
first beginning. I was, uh, [:To work, uh, in this [00:04:45] sector of the hospitality industry. Well, uh, when I heard about this new vision and to create a new brand Explorer, [00:05:00] which is not just a new brand, a new product, but it's something completely new, a different vision in the luxury market, I was amazed by that. And luckily I was invited. [00:05:15] Uh, to support the startup of the Explorer one.
is vision, uh, that, uh, was [:Rodney George: Well, it truly is magnificent here. I will tell you, um, I was very impressed when I met with your president, uh, uh, Chris [00:06:00] Austin a few months ago and found what they did in order to design this ship and, and the interviewing they did with. thousands of luxury travelers and, and a few hundred luxury travel advisors.[00:06:15]
And you really built what the people said they wanted.
reate a new product in terms [:That's what I'm gonna say. Um, and I'm gonna be here to please the palate of each single guest. And this is a really something [00:07:00] that makes me, uh, really proud of, uh, all those things to be here and to manage this amazing ship.
Rodney George: Well, you guys actually, you guys actually talk about the ship being a, a hotel that floats.
[:Nevin: Absolutely. Yes. This is a. It looks like a boutique hotel, but with larger suites, with something different venue, [00:07:30] public spaces that are really big and interesting where we can perform different things. And actually, uh, this giving, giving us an opportunity to please every single guest in a [00:07:45] luxury way.
the open seas today. This is [:Nevin: absolutely true. So as you can see, there is always available spaces around the lounges. The open decks are amazing. We are having actually four [00:08:15] big pools, which are located in different position two on the back, one in the middle and another one on the top of the ship, which gives, give really an experience of [00:08:30] ocean state of mind, which is a
Rodney George: lovely.
an state of mind. We've been [:There are no interior cabins.
Nevin: No, there is not any [:Rodney George: cabins for the guests. And I believe the smallest cabin is still like 350, 370 [00:09:15] square feet or, yeah,
Nevin: yeah, yeah.
Rodney George: So they're not
Nevin: small, let me say.
rse, Those cabins are really [:So [00:09:45] every single guest has a great opportunity to. Have a view of where we are going, what we are doing. And the cabins are really luxury and the standards is
luxury folks. I mean, I've, [:I know that, um, You [00:10:15] guys have won a few awards already.
uh, concept of the cruising, [:Rodney George: today.
uct. Now, one thing that you [:Nevin: Uh, as, uh, you [00:11:15] can see, uh, this was, uh, one decision that, uh, was very interesting, but in the end, very good that we hire our staff from the luxury hotels, which is [00:11:30] something unique because they come already with experience of offering.
e focusing on interaction on [:So we are getting as well, uh, some trainings for them from this, uh, particular So we are getting as well, uh, some trainings for them from this, uh, particular school. School and we train them on board. We train them [00:12:30] at home. So there is a huge program which embrace all these activities concerning the trainings, mainly off luxury hospitality.
ey are coming already with a [:I
Rodney George: noticed that a lot, a lot of your staff does come from hotels, not other cruise lines.
, we want that. We take this [:Rodney George: Um, I know you guys are getting incredible scores.
mebody on board? What do you [:Nevin: I can tell you that with this, uh, perfect design, let me say that things of the ship that, uh, the family built [00:14:00] and, uh, this amazing spaces around accommodation, open decks, lounges.
something that really guests [:It was industry, and I can proudly say that, uh, this is something that, [00:14:45] uh, is really exceptionally well.
nd out the guy sitting to my [:That's how good this food and services. I want to make you the captain.
Nevin: Thank you. Thank you for that.
Rodney George: Yeah.
ally, we try to please every [:Rodney George: So on the ship, you have a French restaurant. Absolutely. You have a steakhouse. Absolutely.
Pan Asian. Yes. Is not just [:Rodney George: it or not, we're in the middle of the Caribbean and at the [00:16:00] steakhouse, which is called Marble Co.
Caribbean. I mean, the food [:And they caught the emporium and it truly is, uh, an, an emporium. I mean, there's, it's, I don't know if you remember because you're from Croatia, but in the U S back in the seventies, there was a song by Arlo Guthrie called you can get [00:16:45] anything you want at Alice's restaurant. Well, the emporium on here is like the old art Arlo Guthrie song.
You can get anything you want. Yes,
some blind memories because [:It's beginning, let me say, of the buffet concept, you know, and was really something special. Yeah. Yeah.
s, it's interesting that you [:Nevin: Yeah,
Rodney George: yeah, yeah,
Nevin: yeah.
uh, of me. You know, he left [:This feeling is so strong. That is a great,
this ship. I was picking up [:Uh, the first day now on a ship where there's only 800 people. [00:18:45] Yes. And all this space you would think you'd see run into this. I ran into him today, eight days later, because there's just so many places to go on this ship.
And this is something that, [:It's a huge ship with a lot, a lot of spaces so the people can enjoy everywhere. [00:19:15] Everywhere, really, and they can find their space inside of the ship without any problems. There is never overcrowded, so
every day. I walk the track. [:There's over 200 lounge chairs on deck 12. Trust me, even more all around the ship. Yeah, oh, I know. But just on that one
. Absolutely. [:Absolutely. Yes. [00:20:00] 2026, we're going to be ready to explore a tree, which we're going to be slightly bigger, much more sustainable. run by the LNG, which today is the most. sustainable and [00:20:15] which less with less impact on the entire environment. This is our prime focus have the ships which are not having any impact on the sea environment.[00:20:30]
very, very attentive to it. [:Rodney George: the way, I should have mentioned, Explorer is a relatively new name to most of you, but the ownership of this cruise line is not new. Uh, as a matter of fact, you just mentioned, they've been [00:21:00] around for several hundred years.
n the world. So. This is not [:Nevin: Absolutely. Look, uh, there is a, as well, uh, foundation as a, you can see MSC foundation here on board to preserve [00:21:30] the nature, to preserve the, uh, Marine environment.
dance about the nature. This [:Rodney George: We've got just a couple of minutes left here. So I thought I would, when [00:22:00] we talked about awards earlier, but you, you've got it pulled up on the screen there on your computer, the awards.
Yes, yes. I'm starting with Forbes magazine and kind of nasty. Yes.
's really something. Uh, Uh, [:Best things that we have because we wants to deliver the extremely luxury experience at sea, our ocean state of mind. It's really with everything [00:23:00] starting from the accommodation on board, our culinary experience, which as well get. And ours, that is really the most, uh, interesting best dining luxury category.[00:23:15]
, uh, we are implementing on [:Rodney George: Well, there's a lot of opportunities to, uh, to, uh, join Nevin and his staff on a cruise. This ship is going to be in the Caribbean for another, what, three weeks?
Yes, yes, yes. And [:Nevin: Yes,
Rodney George: with
Nevin: amazing crossing.
Rodney George: Yes. Absolutely. Yes. If you've never done a crossing, it's a great time to catch up on your reading. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Nevin: Now, but,
Rodney George: well, uh,
's an amazing cruise. I came [:Rodney George: cruise.
been on one and now on two, [:The sky link or yeah. [00:24:30]
o get the most sophisticated [:Rodney George: Yeah. For those of you who are like me and feel like you have to stay connected all the time.
ruise line is all about. And [:Nevin: There is no other word than come and taste our [00:25:15] luxury brand, because this is really starting from the services, starting from the, uh, our sweets, starting from the.
t is really something really [:Rodney George: at dinner last night. She says I'm trying to figure out how long I want to stay on board That's that's that's something you don't hear a lot I'll tell you when I stepped on Explorer one [00:26:00] back in August and the first thing I saw was a Rolex store a Piaget store and a Cartier store.
experience and that was just [:Nevin: With a pleasure. Absolutely. It's a big pleasure to meet the guest. And this is a great opportunity to get the feedback from the guest so we can. Step by step, find a way, get something better [00:26:45] and to really accommodate every single guest. Yes. There is no way not to do it. But of course, with the special touches and always with the luxury [00:27:00] things.
you because the ship will be [:Absolutely. Thanks,
Nevin: Nevin. Thank you very much.
leasure. My pleasure indeed. [:Voiceover: Thanks for joining us on the Luxury Travelers Podcast. For more information, [00:27:45] head on over to luxurytravelerspodcast. com to connect with our team or leave us a message. Until next time, safe travels and savor the [00:28:00] extraordinary.
