A Look at the Inaugural Season of the Explora III – Cruise Industry News

Explora Journeys recently revealed the maiden season of the new Explora III.

Set to debut in August 2026, the luxury ship will offer cruises to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and North America.

Cruise Industry News takes a closer look at the deployment, which features a series of seven- to 11-night itineraries.

Maiden Voyage
Date: August 3, 2026
Length: 7 nights
Homeports: Barcelona (Spain) to Lisbon (Portugal)
Itinerary: Ibiza, Puerto Banús and Cádiz (Spain); Tangier (Morocco); and Portimão (Portugal)

After being delivered by the Fincantieri shipyard, the Explora III is set to offer a seven-night cruise in the Western Mediterranean and the Iberian Peninsula.

Sailing from Barcelona to Lisbon, the itinerary features visits to destinations in Spain, Morocco and Portugal, such as Puerto Banús, Tangier and Portimão.

Western Europe
Date: August 10, 2026
Length: 7 nights
Homeports: Lisbon (Portugal) to Southampton (England)
Itinerary: Porto (Portugal); La Coruña (Spain); Bordeaux and St. Malo (France)

On its way to Northern Europe, the Explora III offers an itinerary between Portugal and England that also sails to Spain and France.

The seven-night cruise focuses on Europe’s Atlantic coast and includes visits to Porto, La Coruña, Bordeaux and St. Malo.

Baltic Sea
Date: August 25, 2026
Length: 8 nights
Homeport: Copenhagen (Denmark)
Itinerary: Tallinn (Estonia); Stockholm and Visby (Sweden); Riga (Latvia); and Ronne (Bornholm)

The Explora III is set to spend most of its maiden season in Northern Europe.

One of the highlights of the deployment is a cruise sailing roundtrip from Copenhagen in late August. The eight-night itinerary features visits to destinations in Estonia, Sweden, Latvia and Bornholm.

Greenland and North Atlantic
Date: September 17, 2026
Length: 11 nights
Homeports: Reykjavik (Iceland) to Quebec City (Canada)
Itinerary: Isafjord (Iceland); Paamiut and Nanortalik (Greenland); Havre-Saint-Pierre and Baie-Comeau (Canada)

In mid-September, the Explora III repositions to North America via Greenland for a series of cruises to Canada and New England.

As part of its 11-night trans-Atlantic crossing, the ship sails from Reykjavik and visits destinations in Iceland, Greenland and Canada before arriving in Quebec City.

Canada and New England

Date: October 7, 2026
Length: 8 nights
Homeports: New York City (United States) to Quebec City (Canada)
Itinerary: Bar Harbor (United States); Saint John, Magdalen Islands, Havre-Saint-Pierre and Baie-Comeau (Canada)

Before repositioning to Miami for a winter season in the Caribbean, the Explora III offers itineraries that explore New England and Canada’s St. Lawrence Seaway.

On one of these cruises, the vessel departs from New York City for an eight-night journey to Quebec City that also features visits to Bar Harbor, Saint John, Magdalen Islands, Havre-Saint-Pierre and Baie-Comeau.