July 7, 2028 – July 27, 2028 · 19 nights · 14 stops · round-trip
Explora's name for it: An Extended Journey of Celtic Coasts, Highland Legends & Viking Legacies
The itinerary, port by port
14 calls over 19 nights, round-trip from Southampton. 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 Southampton (LHR) open around August 2027, about 11 months before you sail. I track that window for booked clients and flag it the moment it is worth booking. When to book your flights →
Southampton is England's main cruise gateway, a working port city on the south coast whose old quarter holds some of the best-preserved medieval town walls and gatehouses in the country, plus a maritime… Port guide →
Greencastle is a working fishing village on the Inishowen Peninsula at the mouth of Lough Foyle, used as a tender anchorage that puts ships within reach of Derry and Ireland's wild northern coast. Port guide →
Killybegs is Ireland's largest fishing port, a working harbor town on Donegal Bay along the Wild Atlantic Way in the country's rugged northwest. Port guide →
Portree is the small harbor capital of the Isle of Skye, a half-circle of pastel houses around a sheltered bay backed by the Hebridean hills. Port guide →
Kirkwall is the Norse-founded capital of Orkney, an archipelago off Scotland's north coast where 5,000-year-old Neolithic sites outnumber and predate almost everything in Britain. Port guide →
6
Invergordon (Inverness)
Invergordon is a small Cromarty Firth town that functions as the gateway to the Highlands, and the day is about what lies inland rather than the quayside.
Newhaven is a small former fishing harbor on Edinburgh's northern shore, used as the tender point that puts you within reach of one of Europe's great capital cities for the day. Port guide →
Mandal is Norway's southernmost town, a small Sørlandet harbor of white timber houses on the Mandalselva river known for its long sand beach and its history as an artists' town. Port guide →
Geiranger sits at the dead end of the Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO-listed arm of water hemmed by cliffs with waterfalls falling straight off the rim. Port guide →
Bergen is Norway's gateway to the western fjords, a compact harbor city wrapped around the wooden Hanseatic trading wharf of Bryggen and ringed by seven mountains. Port guide →
Flåm is a tiny village at the inner tip of the Aurlandsfjord, a narrow arm of the Sognefjord walled by steep mountains and laced with waterfalls. Port guide →
Haugesund is a compact coastal city on Norway's southwest shoulder, historically tied to herring fishing and to the Viking-age kings unified nearby. Port guide →
Eidfjord is a village of under a thousand people at the head of the Hardangerfjord's innermost arm, hemmed in by steep mountain walls in western Norway. Port guide →
Zeebrugge is a working North Sea cargo port, and almost no one comes for Zeebrugge itself. Port guide →
Fares on this departure, decoded
Reading the fare fine print is the job. Here's what this sailing currently carries:
Early Booking Benefit
A fare for booking far enough ahead of departure. 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.
Founders Fare
A founding-era fare on a selected set of sailings. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
The ship and your suite
This sailing is aboard EXPLORA IV, 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 →
Send me the dates and the suite tier you have in mind and I'll come back with a confirmed live number and my read on the sailing within two hours. Best available price, and I make it worth more.