Explora Journeys has officially named EXPLORA III in Barcelona, and the celebration surrounding the occasion made clear that this is more than a routine addition to the fleet. The naming ceremony, held alongside the MSC Cruise Division’s new terminal, brought together senior leadership from Explora Journeys and MSC Group, along with distinguished guests, to mark what the brand is calling the halfway point in its vision of six ships redefining ultra-elegant ocean travel. Godmother Cristina Ozores, a marine educator, National Geographic Educator, and founder of the conservation organization Vellmarí, blessed and christened the ship in a ceremony that blended maritime tradition with genuine emotion about what the ocean means to those who spend their lives studying it. The celebrations that followed were equally memorable, with a gala dinner across the ship’s culinary venues, a high-energy performance from disco icons Sister Sledge featuring Kathy Sledge, and a late-night DJ set from internationally acclaimed Bob Sinclar that kept guests dancing well into the evening.
A Generous Sense of Space
Every new ship in the Explora Journeys fleet has been an opportunity to refine what the brand believes ocean travel should feel like, and EXPLORA III pushes that philosophy further than ever. Measuring 19.2 metres longer than her sister ships EXPLORA I and EXPLORA II, she is now the most spacious vessel in the fleet, offering 19.5 square metres of public space per guest, among the highest ratios found anywhere in the industry. That additional length has gone entirely toward the guest experience. The ship also introduces a second Owner’s Residence, designed by the internationally renowned architect and designer Patricia Urquiola. The result is a ship that feels less like a cruise vessel and more like a private yacht scaled up just enough to offer the amenities of a five-star resort, while still preserving the intimacy and unhurried pace that define the Explora Journeys experience.
A New World of Culinary Discovery
Dining aboard EXPLORA III has been reimagined as its own kind of journey, anchored by three entirely new concepts that build on the culinary reputation Explora Journeys has already established across EXPLORA I and EXPLORA II. The Cellar brings an extraordinary depth of wine discovery to sea, with nearly 350 labels ranging from legendary names like Pétrus and Screaming Eagle to lesser-known bottles from emerging regions including Lebanon, England, Hungary, and Japan, guided by Cellar Masters who help guests find the right bottle for the moment rather than simply the most famous one on the list. The Chef’s Table takes personalization even further, inviting guests to shape an entire evening around their own preferences, memories, or a destination visited earlier in the journey, so that no two evenings are ever quite the same. And for something more relaxed, Shore Club on 11 at The Conservatory brings a poolside, Mediterranean-inspired atmosphere to the ship, with made-to-order dishes and a beverage program built for long, unhurried afternoons in the sun.
Built for the Future
Beyond design and dining, EXPLORA III also represents a meaningful step forward in how the brand thinks about the future of ocean travel. As the first LNG-capable ship in the Explora Journeys fleet, she is equipped with the latest generation of dual-fuel engines, enabling the use of liquefied natural gas and lower-carbon fuels. This investment in more sustainable propulsion technology is part of a broader commitment across MSC Group, which has invested more than 3.5 billion euros in its six-ship fleet, every vessel of which has been designed and built by Fincantieri in Italy, a partnership that reflects decades of shipbuilding craftsmanship and a shared vision for what the next generation of luxury ocean travel should look like.
Where She’s Sailing
EXPLORA III’s inaugural season has been designed with the same sense of discovery that defines everything else about the ship, tracing a graceful northern arc from Barcelona to Lisbon before continuing through Northern Europe, Iceland, and Greenland, and eventually crossing the Atlantic toward Canada and New England. True to the brand’s approach, there are no repeated itineraries across the season, and several maiden ports appear for the very first time, including Bergen, Flåm, Riga, and Tallinn. Looking further ahead, EXPLORA III is scheduled to sail to Alaska next summer, marking the brand’s debut season in that region, before continuing on to Asia in early 2028 for another first for the fleet. For travelers who have been waiting for the right moment to experience Explora Journeys, an inaugural season aboard a brand-new ship, sailing brand-new itineraries, may be exactly that moment.
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