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EXPLORA I · Grand Journeys

15 nights, Miami to Barcelona

March 8, 2027 – March 24, 2027 · 15 nights · 7 stops

Explora's name for it: A Grand Journey from Atlantic Exploration to Mediterranean Delights

Fifteen nights, seven calls, Miami to Barcelona. The shape is a slow Atlantic crossing bookended by two very different worlds. You start with three warm-water days that ask almost nothing of you: San Juan, where Explora ties up at the Old San Juan piers themselves and the cobbled colonial grid begins a few steps from the gangway, then Philipsburg, a low-friction Caribbean stop where a swimmable beach and the boardwalk are a short walk from the pier. Then the ship turns east into open ocean and resurfaces at Funchal on Madeira, where the signature day pairs the walkable old town and its 1940 market with a cable car up to Monte and a wicker toboggan steered down on foot. From there it is Andalusia and the Mediterranean: Cádiz, one of the oldest cities in Western Europe, with a baroque cathedral and Roman theatre minutes from the gates, and Málaga, where the Moorish Alcazaba sits above a Roman theater and Picasso's old town.

This rewards travelers who actually want the sea days, the long unhurried middle where the crossing is the point. If you measure a sailing by ports per week, skip it. The European calls reward walkers; Cádiz and Málaga are dense and walkable, while Barcelona docks far out at Terminal H and needs a shuttle or taxi into the center.

Explora I is all-suite and all-oceanfront.

Miami (open port guide)MiamiSan Juan (open port guide)Philipsburg (open port guide)Funchal (Madeira) (open port guide)Cadiz (open port guide)Málaga (open port guide)Barcelona (open port guide)Barcelona

The itinerary, port by port

7 calls over 15 nights, Miami to Barcelona. Open any port for my full day-ashore guide, what to see, when to go, and how the day actually runs.

Getting there: Flights to Miami (MIA) are already bookable for these dates. I watch the fare for booked clients so you book at the right moment. When to book your flights →

  1. Embark
    Miami

    Miami is the busiest cruise port in the United States, set on Dodge Island in Biscayne Bay a mile or two off downtown. Port guide →

  2. 2
    San Juan

    San Juan's old quarter is a walled Spanish colonial town on a headland, founded in the early 1500s, with two stone forts run by the U.S. Port guide →

  3. 3
    Philipsburg

    Philipsburg is the Dutch-side capital of Sint Maarten, a narrow strip of town wedged between Great Bay and a salt pond. Port guide →

  4. 4
    Funchal (Madeira)

    Funchal is the capital of Madeira, a Portuguese volcanic island in the Atlantic, and the port sits a short walk from a working city built up a steep amphitheater of hills. Port guide →

  5. 5
    Cadiz

    Cádiz sits on a narrow Atlantic peninsula in Andalusia and is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, a compact old town ringed by sea on three sides. Port guide →

  6. 6
    Málaga

    Málaga is the working capital of the Costa del Sol and the birthplace of Picasso, and its old town packs a Moorish hilltop fortress, a 1st-century BC Roman theater, and an unfinished Renaissance cathedral… Port guide →

  7. Disembark
    Barcelona

    Barcelona packs Gaudí's modernisme, a 2,000-year-old Roman and medieval core, and a working Mediterranean waterfront into a single dense, walkable city. Port guide →

Fares on this departure, decoded

Reading the fare fine print is the job. Here's what this sailing currently carries:

Grand Journey Benefit
A fare attached to the longer, multi-region Grand Journeys. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
Invitation to Discover More
Explora's discovery fare, available across most of the calendar. Onboard credit where the offer applies.

The ship and your suite

This sailing is aboard EXPLORA I, all-suite, every suite with a private ocean-front terrace. Suites run from the entry Ocean Terrace to the Owner's Residence; the right tier depends on how you travel. Compare suites → · What's included →


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