Explora Journeys announces Alaska deployment for Explora I in 2024

Explora Journeys will be cruising in Alaska in 2024, aboard its first cruise ship Explora I, with roundtrip itineraries from Vancouver, Canada.

The cruise line, a luxury subsidiary of MSC Cruises, has released three itineraries that will be available from Vancouver.

The announcement comes as Explora Journeys prepares to take delivery of the first of a planned four cruise ships next year.

RELATED: Explora Journeys launches first cruise ship Explora I

RELATED: Luxury MSC line Explora Journeys launches itineraries 

“Explora Journeys’ Alaskan experience will inspire and excite in equal measure, especially for those who are curious for remarkable exploration,” said Michael Ungerer, CEO, Explora Journeys. “Blending luxury and adventure from soaring mountains, Arctic tundra, giant rivers, fjords, and glaciers, to deep, frozen oceans and vibrant wildlife, Explora Journeys will ensure a one-of-a kind experience.”

Explora Journeys’ Alaskan season will run from May 6th, to August 28th, 2024, with three different cruise itineraries on offer.

The ‘Remote Wrangell and Spectacular Sitka Inaugural Alaskan Journey’ will depart Vancouver on May 6th, 2024. The 11-night cruise will sail the Inside Passage, Wrangell, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Sitka, Skagway, Ketchikan, Misty Fjord, and Victoria.

The Whale’s Highway itinerary is an 11-night cruise that includes, Icy Strait Point (Hoonah and the Hubbard Glacier,while Journey of the Glaciers is a 10-night voyage.

Explora I is due for delivery in May next year and will sail a diverse set of inaugural itineraries covering the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the UK, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, the U.S. East Coast, Caribbean, South America and Hawaii.

Explora I will have 461 guest suites. Construction of her sister ship Explora II started in October 2021 at Fincantieri’s Castellammare di Stabia yard in Naples. The ship will be delivered in autumn 2024 at the Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa with two further vessels set to be delivered in 2025 and 2026.

The ship will offer nine dining experiences, several indoor and outdoor bars and cafes, along with a promenade deck with indoor and outdoor whirlpool baths, a pool with a retractable glass roof and more than 2,500 square metres of outdoor decks with three outdoor pools and 64 private cabanas.

The launch of Explora Journeys as a luxury subsidiary sees MSC Cruises joining the Big Three cruise lines, all of which have their own separate luxury products as well.

Carnival Corporation has Seabourn (at least for now), Royal Caribbean has Silversea, and Norwegian Cruise Line has Regent Seven Seas and Oceania.