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EXPLORA III · Grand Journeys

16 nights, Quebec City to San Juan

October 15, 2026 – November 1, 2026 · 16 nights · 12 stops

Explora's name for it: A Grand Journey of Bright Coastlines & Captivating Havens

This is a 16-night, one-way run that starts in the walled heart of French North America and finishes in the Caribbean, so the character of the trip changes under you as you go. From Quebec City, where you walk straight off the gangway into 400-year-old streets at the foot of the UNESCO Old Town, the route threads the St. Lawrence and up the Saguenay Fjord toward La Baie. The fjord approach is the headline there: be on deck for the narrow walls and the Cap Trinité statue rather than below. Halifax rewards a day on foot, from the noon gun at the Citadel to the Maritime Museum's Titanic gallery, the real one, since Halifax was the port that sent out the recovery ships. The back half turns warm and easy, ending on the cobbled grid of Old San Juan with El Morro a short uphill walk from the pier.

This itinerary rewards a traveler who wants range in one trip and does not mind a few honest, walkable port towns over marquee sights. Sydney has the thinnest in-town sightseeing of the Canadian stops, and a couple of Caribbean calls are tender ports where you trade queue time for quiet beaches. If you want a single region done deep, or you dislike long sailings, pick a shorter one. If the arc itself is the appeal, this is a strong one.

The ship is all-suite and all-oceanfront.

Quebec City (open port guide)Quebec CityLa Baie (Saguenay) (open port guide)Sept-Iles (open port guide)Sydney (open port guide)Halifax (open port guide)New York City (open port guide)Miami (open port guide)Cruz Bay (Saint John) (open port guide)St. John's (Antigua) (open port guide)Terre-de-Haut (Îles des Saintes) (open port guide)Philipsburg (open port guide)San Juan (open port guide)San Juan

The itinerary, port by port

12 calls over 16 nights, Quebec City to San Juan. 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 Quebec City (YQB) 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
    Quebec City

    Quebec City is the walled heart of French North America, and the only fortified city north of Mexico, set on a bluff above the St. Port guide →

  2. 2
    La Baie (Saguenay)

    La Baie is the cruise gateway to Saguenay, reached by sailing 50-plus nautical miles up the Saguenay Fjord, the only fjord in North America navigable by large cruise ships. Port guide →

  3. 3
    Sept-Iles

    Sept-Iles is an industrial and fishing town on Quebec's remote Cote-Nord, set on a near-circular bay sheltered by the seven-island archipelago it is named for. Port guide →

  4. 4
    Sydney

    Sydney is the harbor town of Cape Breton Island, a former coal and steel city that is now the gateway to Cape Breton's Scottish, Acadian, and Mi'kmaq heritage. Port guide →

  5. 5
    Halifax

    Halifax is an Atlantic port city built around one of the world's great natural harbors, with a star-shaped hilltop fort, a long working waterfront, and a sober line in maritime history from the Titanic… Port guide →

  6. 6
    New York City

    New York needs no introduction, but the cruise day is shaped entirely by which terminal you draw. Port guide →

  7. 7
    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 →

  8. 8
    Cruz Bay (Saint John)

    Saint John is the quietest of the U.S. Port guide →

  9. 9
  10. 10
    Terre-de-Haut (Îles des Saintes)

    Terre-de-Haut is the main inhabited island of the Saintes, a small archipelago off Guadeloupe's south coast, settled by Breton and Norman fishing families whose descendants still run the place. Port guide →

  11. 11
    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 →

  12. Disembark
    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 →

Fares on this departure, decoded

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

Founders Fare
A founding-era fare on a selected set of sailings. 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 III, 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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