17 nights, Miami to Miami
Explora's name for it: An Extended Journey through Caribbean Beauty & Ocean Stillness
Seventeen nights, ten stops, out of Miami and back to Miami, with no full sea days on the schedule. That is a busy itinerary that runs the western and southern Caribbean in a single loop, and the pace shifts stop to stop. Some days are pure beach: West Bay in Roatan, where the Mesoamerican reef sits close enough to snorkel a living coral wall straight off the sand, and Grand Cayman's North Sound, where wild stingrays gather in waist-deep water on a sandbar. Others are walkable colonial towns. Willemstad is a UNESCO Dutch harbor where the historic center is a flat ten-minute walk and a pontoon bridge swings open for passing ships. Cartagena puts you inside the largest Spanish fort in the Americas, reached by walking out through a port eco-park that doubles as a genuine aviary. A few calls demand planning: Progreso berths far offshore on a four-mile pier, with colonial Merida and the Maya world the real reason to go ashore.
This loop rewards travelers who want range, reef one day and ramparts the next, and who book inland excursions ahead rather than improvising at the pier. Skip it if you want a slow, few-port sailing or mostly sea days to settle into the ship. Gateway ports like Belize City and Progreso are tender or shuttle days that ask for a committed plan, not a wander.
Explora I is all-suite and all-oceanfront throughout.
The itinerary, port by port
10 calls over 17 nights, round-trip from Miami. 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 →
- Embark
- 2 Progreso (Merida)
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- Disembark
Fares on this departure, decoded
Reading the fare fine print is the job. Here's what this sailing currently carries:
- Invitation to Discover More
- Explora's discovery fare, available across most of the calendar. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
- Founders Fare
- A founding-era fare on a selected set of sailings. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
- Air-Inclusive Fare
- A fare that folds airfare into the voyage price on a smaller set of sailings.
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 →