October 27, 2026 — Explora Journeys, MSC Group’s luxury brand, has opened its first winter Caribbean season with Explora III‘s arrival in Miami, while in Italy its fifth ship floated out and its sixth received its coin ceremony.
Explora III arrives in Miami
Explora III (922 guests, 72,810 tons), the line’s third ship and its first powered by LNG, reached Miami on October 25, 2026, marked with a ceremonial plaque exchange attended by PortMiami chief Jonathan Daniels and CLIA president Bud Darr. The ship entered service in summer 2026 and came to North America in late September.
- Its winter program runs through early April 2027, with cruises departing from Florida, Puerto Rico and Barbados. Individual itineraries were not detailed in the report.
- After the winter season the ship heads to the West Coast for Explora Journeys’ first Alaska program (dates TBA).
New ships take shape in Genoa
On October 26 at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente yard in Genoa:
| Ship | Milestone | Due in service |
|---|---|---|
| Explora IV | — | Spring 2027 |
| Explora V | Float out | End of 2027 |
| Explora VI | Coin ceremony | Summer 2028 |
Both new ships will run on LNG and are designed for future fuels such as bio-LNG and synthetic LNG; Explora VI will also have fuel-cell technology. Explora V is planned to sail the Mediterranean, visiting 27 destinations in nine countries.
What it means for airline travelers
- Florida, San Juan and Barbados departures give plenty of flight choice: Miami (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) for Florida, San Juan (SJU) for Puerto Rico and Bridgetown (BGI) for Barbados. Check which port your sailing uses before booking flights, as the report did not list them by date.
- Barbados and San Juan have fewer daily flights than South Florida, so if you are flying standby to those embarkation points, go a day or two early and have a backup routing.
- No travel-industry or interline rate information was mentioned.
Sources
- Cruise Industry News — Explora III Makes Miami Debut to Kick Off Winter Caribbean Program
- Cruise Industry News — Explora Journeys Celebrates Milestones for Ships 5 and 6 at Fincantieri
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