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EXPLORA II · Mediterranean & Western Europe

9 nights, Lisbon to Civitavecchia (Rome)

February 23, 2027 – March 5, 2027 · 9 nights · 8 stops

Explora's name for it: A Journey of Golden Evenings & Southern Shores

Nine nights, eight stops, no repeat ports: this is a one-way run from Lisbon down through Andalusia, across the Strait to Morocco, then a long eastward arc through Sardinia and Sicily to Rome. The pace is busy. Eight calls in nine nights means you trade sea days for a near-daily docking, and what saves the schedule is how walkable these berths are. Lisbon's terminal sits at the foot of Alfama, with the Baixa about ten minutes the other way. Cádiz ties up at the edge of the old town, no tendering, so a cathedral, a Roman theatre, and a working market are all on foot. Tangier puts the medina and hilltop kasbah in one compact loop. Trapani earns its day twice over: a flat baroque seafront below, and the Funivia cable car up to Erice, a stone town that makes its own weather.

This itinerary rewards a traveler who likes a full, on-foot day in a real city and doesn't mind a different one most mornings. If you want sea days, slow mornings, or one anchor base, look elsewhere. Naples and Civitavecchia are gateway days as much as destinations: Pompeii or Amalfi will eat all of Naples, and Civitavecchia is really about Rome down the regional line, so plan those two before you board.

Explora II is all-suite and all-oceanfront. Send me your dates and the suite tier you're weighing.

Lisbon (open port guide)LisbonCadiz (open port guide)Tangier (open port guide)Málaga (open port guide)Cagliari (Sardinia) (open port guide)Trapani (Sicily) (open port guide)Naples (open port guide)Civitavecchia (Rome) (open port guide)Civitavecchia (Rome)

The itinerary, port by port

8 calls over 9 nights, Lisbon to Civitavecchia (Rome). 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 Lisbon (LIS) 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
    Lisbon

    Lisbon spreads over hills above the wide Tagus estuary, and the cruise terminal sits at the foot of Alfama, the city's oldest quarter. Port guide →

  2. 2
    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 →

  3. 3
    Tangier

    Tangier sits where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic at the Strait of Gibraltar, a Moroccan port city with a walled medina, a hilltop kasbah, and a long history as an international crossroads. Port guide →

  4. 4
    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 →

  5. 5
    Cagliari (Sardinia)

    Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia, a layered Italian port city where a medieval hilltop citadel, the Castello, looks down over the harbor and the arcaded Via Roma runs right along the waterfront. Port guide →

  6. 6
    Trapani (Sicily)

    Trapani is a sickle-shaped peninsula town on Sicily's far west coast, where the cruise dock sits at the edge of the old quarter and the medieval hill town of Erice rises 750 meters straight above it. Port guide →

  7. 7
    Naples

    Naples is a dense, loud, deeply layered Italian city where the cruise terminal sits at the foot of the historic center rather than out in an industrial port. Port guide →

  8. Disembark
    Civitavecchia (Rome)

    Civitavecchia is Rome's deepwater port, a working harbor about 80 km northwest of the capital, and for most travelers it is the gateway rather than the destination. Port guide →

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.
Spontaneous Summer Invitation
A near-term fare on a small set of summer-season 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 II, 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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Want this voyage priced for you?

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