Explora Journeys, the new luxury lifestyle travel brand of the MSC Group, has unveiled its first year of Journeys – for its first of four vessels, EXPLORA I from May 2023, with a promise to take its guests to a harmonious mix of both well-known and off the beaten path destinations.
The Inaugural Journeys Collection covers the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the UK, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, the U.S. East Coast, Caribbean, South America and Hawaii.
Sailings start from 6-night journeys and culminate in a 44-night Grand Journey – EXPLORA I, in its inaugural year, will visit 132 ports in 40 different countries, including two destinations, Kastellorizo, Greece and Saint Pierre, Martinique that have not been visited by cruise ships before.
Michael Ungerer, the CEO of Explora Journeys, commented “This is one more step forward in our development of a truly defining and highly desired, luxury lifestyle brand. It’s another step completed in our go-to-market approach. Having launched initially exclusively to Travel Advisors, we are now delighted to give our guests the option to book their journeys online, should they wish to do so.
“Our ambition is to reflect the desire of today’s and tomorrow’s luxury traveller and their curiosity for remarkable exploration. We have created a collection of journeys that offer the perfect blend of celebrated destinations and lesser travelled ports, both seen from a new and original point of view to inspire and excite our curious, discerning guests and the next generation of luxury travellers.”
Explora Journeys provides a seamless and efficient booking process for guests who can choose their preferred way to book either via their preferred travel advisor, contacting an Ambassador at the Explora Journeys` Experience Centre or reserving their dream journey now also online through Explora Journeys’ website.
Mr Ungerer added, “EXPLORA I and our subsequent three ships will allow guests to enjoy a more immersive, authentic experience and a slower pace of travel. They are designed to offer refined yet effortless luxury with the opportunity for exploration and transformation, offering our guests the chance to experience what we call an ‘Ocean State of Mind’ – a mindset that can be achieved when we escape to the ocean, relax, create memories and reconnect with what matters most in our lives.”
Explora Journeys aims to transform ocean luxury travel through a synergy of beautiful ships and immersive, remarkable itineraries to provide its guests with the opportunity to discover further, travel deeper and linger a little longer at each destination.
Whether that’s treading the cobbled streets of Europe’s hallowed capitals and exploring the ancient Acropolis; navigating the crystalline cool of the Norwegian fjords sailing to the Svartisen Glacier. Or, savouring French chic in Saint Barth’s, lolling beneath Hawaiian waterfalls and soaking up the sun kissed shores of Brazil’s buzzing Rio de Janeiro, Explora Journeys plans to offer exclusive access far beyond the classic luxury ocean experience.
EXPLORA JOURNEYS` DESTINATIONS May 2023 – May 2024
MEDITERRANEAN
May – June 2023 Inaugural Mediterranean Journey:
A MAIDEN JOURNEY INTO MARE NOSTRUM.
Barcelona, St Tropez, Calvi (Corsica), Rome, Fiskardo (Kefalonia), Istanbul, Athens
Mediterranean Grand Journey:
Barcelona, St Tropez, Calvi (Corsica), Rome, Fiskardo (Kefalonia), Istanbul, Athens, Patmos, Bodrum, Kastellorizo, Santorini, Athens, Mykonos, Gozo, Ibiza, Barcelona
Mediterranean and Western Europe destinations:
Barcelona, St Tropez, Calvi (Corsica), Rome, Fiskardo (Kefalonia), Istanbul, Athens, Patmos, Bodrum, Kastellorizo, Santorini, Mykonos, Gozo, Ibiza, Malaga, Cadiz, Portimão, Lisbon, Porto, St. Jean-de-Luz, Bordeaux, Saint-Malo, Honfleur
NORTHERN EUROPE
July – August 2023: Inaugural Norwegian Journey:
EPIC FJORDS AND ARTIC CIRCLE
Southampton, Kristiansand, Hellesylt/Geiranger, Ålesund, Molde, Trondheim, Svartisen Glacier and Arctic Circle, Narvik, Honningsvåg, Tromsø
Northern Europe Grand Journey:
Southampton, Kristiansand, Hellesylt/Geiranger, Ålesund, Molde, Trondheim, Svartisen Glacier and Arctic Circle, Narvik, Honningsvåg, Tromsø Leknes – Lofoten Islands, Brønnøysund, Flåm, Bergen, Stavanger, Skagen, Copenhagen, Rønne, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Visby, Riga,Klaipeda, Gdansk, Copenhagen, Göteborg, Oslo, Stavanger, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Bruges, Southampton.
UNITED KINGDOM
August 2023: Inaugural United Kingdom Journey:
SCOTTISH LOCHS AND THE MILITARY TATTOO
Southampton, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Invergordon, Stornoway, Oban, Liverpool, Glasgow
Extended United Kingdom Journey:
Southampton, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Invergordon, Stornoway, Oban, Liverpool, Glasgow, Fort William, Portree, Kirkwall, Lerwick – Shetland Islands, Thorshavn – Faroe Islands, Reykjavik
ICELAND & GREENLAND
September 2023: Inaugural Iceland & Greenland Journey:
ARTIC GEYSERS, CALVING GLACIERS AND FIERY LANDS OF ICE.
Reykjavik, Akureyri, Isafjordur, Prins Christian Sund Waterway, Paamiut, Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Strait of Belle Island, Sydney, Saint John, New York City
Extended Iceland to North America Journey:
AN EXTENDED JOURNEY FROM ICELAND & GREENLAND TO HIGH- LATITUDE AMERICA
Reykjavik, Akureyri, Isafjordur, Prins Christian Sund Waterway, Paamiut, Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Strait of Belle Island, Sydney, Saint John, New York City, Newport, Boston, Saint John, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec City
USA EAST COAST & CANADA
September –
October 2023 Inaugural North American East Coast Journey:
ATLANTIC PROVINCES AND CANADIAN MARITIMES
New York City, Newport, Boston, Saint John, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec City
Extended North American East Coast Journey:
New York City, Newport, Boston, Saint John, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Quebec City, La Baie, Baie-Comeau, Havre-Saint-Pierre, Charlottetown, Halifax, New York City
CARIBBEAN
November 2023 – Inaugural Caribbean Journeys:
March 2024 A YACHTSMAN`S PARADISE
Miami, Key West, Spanish Town, Deshaies, Falmouth Harbour, San Juan
BRITISH ISLES, CREOLE IDYLLS & MIAMI MAGIC
San Juan, Gustavia, Basseterre, Samana, Ocean Cay, Miami
Panama Canal Passage:
Bridgetown, Kralendijk, Willemstad, Oranjestad, Cartagena, Puerto Limon, Crossing the Panama Canal, Panama City
Caribbean Destinations:
Miami, Key West, Spanish Town, Deshaies, Falmouth Harbour, San Juan, Gustavia, Basseterre, Samana, Ocean Cay, St. John`s (Antigua and Barbuda), Castries, Bridgetown, Roseau, Kralendijk, Willemstad, Saint-Pierre, Kingstown, Grand Turk (Turks and Caicos), Santa Marta, Cartagena, Colón, Soufriere, Bequia (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Oranjestad
SOUTH AMERICA, PACIFIC COAST AND HAWAII
January – Inaugural South American Journey:
February 2024: CELEBRATING TWO CARNIVALS IN BRAZIL
Bridgetown, Devil`s Island, Fortaleza, Salvador De Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Pôrto Belo, São Paulo
March – April 2024 Pacific Coast destinations:
Quepos, San Juan del Sur, Puerto Quetzal, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Astoria, Victoria, Vancouver
April – May 2024: Inaugural Hawaiian Journeys:
HAWAII`S VOLCANOS & THE MAGIC OF KAI
Vancouver, Hilo, Honolulu
“NO KA ‘OI” OF HAWAI’I
Honolulu, Lahaina, Nawiliwili, Victoria, Vancouver
Extended Hawaiin Journey:
AN EXTENDED EXPLORATION OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS
Vancouver, Hilo, Honolulu, Lahaina, Nawiliwili, Victoria, Vancouver
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