By Sara Perez Webber
The new luxury travel differentiator isn’t just where you go—it’s how well you’re fed.
For catering and foodservice leaders, that’s a familiar shift: Guests and clients aren’t only buying a meal. They’re buying confidence, craft, and an experience that feels personal and intentional.
With à la minute execution, a vast array of house-made products and sophisticated supply-chain leverage, Explora Journeys—the luxury cruise line launched by MSC Group—is making culinary identity a central pillar of the brand. Guests won’t find any mass-produced, boring buffet lines here. Instead they’ll discover an all-day dining venue modeled after a European food hall, with 17 chef-attended live stations—and much more.
To understand what that looks like operationally, CFE News interviewed Alban Gjoka, vice president of food and beverage for Explora Journeys. As Explora Journeys prepares to debut its third ship, EXPLORA III, in July 2026, Gjoka shared how the Geneva-based company raises the bar on its culinary offerings.
CFE News: What makes Explora Journeys’ culinary philosophy different?
Alban Gjoka: At Explora Journeys, we approach cuisine with the mindset of a refined European luxury resort, not a traditional cruise operation. Our focus is on à-la-minute cooking, exceptional ingredients and culinary authenticity rather than scale productions. Every dining experience is designed to feel intuitive, elegant and seamlessly integrated into the guest journey.
We honor our European culinary heritage while thoughtfully embracing modern technology, and that enhances freshness, flavor and precision—which is never for effect, always for meaning. The result is cuisine that feels effortless yet deeply considered, offering the freedom, quality and refinement of the world’s finest resorts distinctively reimagined at sea.
CFE News: How did traveler feedback shape the onboard dining program?
Gjoka: The Explora Journeys brand was built on the art of listening, and the feedback from luxury travelers and their advisors was clear: They wanted the emotional comfort and culinary confidence of their favorite restaurants on land.
At the same time, the MSC family’s vision was equally clear and remarkably innovative, challenging us to rethink what dining at sea could be, without compromise. That pursuit of authenticity, ease and freshness became our starting point. The result is a culinary experience that feels natural, generous and instinctively luxurious.
CFE News: Where does your Swiss-Italian heritage show up on the plate?
Gjoka: Our Swiss-Italian heritage naturally shapes the cuisine on Explora Journeys. Italian food, loved on every continent, offers comfort and familiarity while providing a strong foundation of technique and tradition.
This allows our chefs to combine classic craftsmanship with innovative creativity, using the MSC Group’s expertise to source ingredients of land-based quality.
CFE News: How does being a subsidiary of a global shipping company affect what you can source?
Gjoka: Having MSC Group as our parent company gives Explora Journeys a unique advantage in sourcing, particularly for highly specific, product-driven ingredients. Our approach is not about sourcing more, but sourcing better.
The MSC Group’s global maritime infrastructure and long-standing supply chain relationships allow us to access products that are otherwise difficult to move consistently across regions. This precision enables us to maintain exacting standards, whether it’s the [French] Viron flour we use for our baguettes or European meat cuts at Marble & Co. Grill, which range from Jersey beef from France and Sashi beef from Sweden to Fassona from Italy.
These are ingredients typically reserved for the finest land-based restaurants, and being able to offer them reliably at sea is a direct reflection of the MSC Group’s scale, expertise and credibility.
CFE News: You have distinct restaurant concepts onboard, such as Sakura, offering Pan-Asian cuisine, and Marble & Co. Grill, a European steakhouse experience. How do you ensure each concept feels authentic rather than thematic or superficial?
Gjoka: Once we define a concept’s direction, we build a solid operational structure around it. Each restaurant has its own culinary leadership team and full autonomy.
These are not variations on a menu. Each team of chefs works independently, with its own ingredients, techniques and standards, creating experiences that are true to the cuisine—fresh, inspired and effortless.
CFE News: How much do you produce in-house—and why does it matter?
Gjoka: Producing food in-house is a cornerstone of Explora Journeys’ culinary philosophy. We have deliberately avoided commercially prepared products, choosing instead to create everything fresh onboard.
This allows us to maintain full control over quality, flavor and consistency, ensuring every dish feels authentic, not industrial. Our commitment is visible in daily operations. Bread and pastries, including croissants, are baked multiple times a day, while fresh pasta, pizza dough and other essentials are made from scratch, as is every dish across all outlets.
It’s a more demanding way of working at sea, but it’s essential to delivering the craftsmanship, comfort and refinement that define our culinary experience.
CFE News: Emporium Marketplace isn’t a typical cruise buffet. How is it different, and what feedback do you get about it from guests?
Gjoka: Emporium Marketplace was conceived as a deliberate departure from the traditional cruise buffet. Inspired by the direction of modern luxury land-based properties, it brings the feel of an elegant, contemporary food hall to sea driven by freshness, à la minute cooking and refined tableside service.
With 17 live stations operating throughout the day, guests can explore a truly global culinary offering, while smaller portions and on-demand preparation ensure quality and sustainability.
Guest feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Emporium Marketplace consistently ranks as the most preferred dining concept onboard. Guests appreciate the freedom of choice without compromise on freshness, precision or execution, in a relaxed yet sophisticated setting.
CFE News: What’s the thinking behind hands-on programming like The Chef’s Kitchen, in which guests take a chef-led cooking class and then dine on the dishes they prepared?
Gjoka: The Chef’s Kitchen reflects how today’s luxury travelers experience cuisine: with curiosity, engagement and a desire to connect personally with the stories behind their food.
Our guests are globally curious. They seek not just flavors, but understanding, insight and hands-on interaction. Cooking side-by-side with our chefs allows them to explore techniques, ingredients and culinary traditions first-hand.
Beyond the voyage, guests can recreate the dishes they discover onboard, creating lasting connections between the experience at sea and life at home. It embodies Explora Journeys’ philosophy: exceptional cuisine that is personal, authentic, and designed to inspire curiosity and create memorable, shared moments.
CFE News: As new ships launch, will the restaurant lineup change?
Gjoka: As we expand the fleet, our priority is to preserve the concepts that guests love and associate with the Explora Journeys experience. These staples define our culinary identity—offering familiarity, comfort and uncompromising quality.
At the same time, we remain future-focused, continually challenging ourselves to innovate and define the next wave of luxury dining at sea. This includes thoughtfully introducing new concepts and periodically refreshing our existing portfolio—revamping programs, updating menus and elevating service to ensure each outlet remains inspiring and aligned with evolving guest expectations.
Through this combination of preservation, innovation and refreshment, we ensure the culinary journey on every ship feels both familiar and consistently elevated.
