Explora Journey’s first-ever World Cruise aboard Explora I to depart Dubai in 2029

Explora Journeys, the luxury ocean travel brand of the MSC Group, has announced its first World Cruise, a 128-day global voyage aboard Explora I departing Dubai on January 6th, 2029. 

The east-to-west journey, titled Endless Worlds, will conclude in Barcelona on May 14th, 2029 and marks the line’s first continuous circumnavigation-style itinerary across four continents, 29 countries and territories, and 63 destinations.

Positioned as a significant step in the development of the brand, Endless Worlds is framed by Explora Journeys as an opportunity for guests to experience an uninterrupted passage across the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans. 

The voyage charts ancient trade routes and pathways of cultural exchange, beginning on Dubai’s coastline and progressing through the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, the Pacific, the Americas and the Atlantic islands before reaching the Mediterranean.

“Endless Worlds represents a milestone in the evolution of Explora Journeys,” said Anna Nash, President of Explora Journeys. “Our Inaugural World Journey embodies our deepest values – boundless exploration, cultural curiosity and a meaningful connection to the ocean.” 

“It enables our guests to experience the world as an uninterrupted story, told gradually and gracefully, with the time and space to absorb its beauty in full,” she added.

The itinerary is structured around seven segments, described by the company as individual passages that together form a single, continuous narrative. The voyage begins in Dubai before heading to India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, followed by calls in Southeast Asia, Bali and Komodo. 

From there, Explora I will continue into Oceania, making first-time calls for the brand in Australia and New Zealand, including Sydney, Cairns, Airlie Beach, Brisbane, Melbourne and Tasmania, as well as the fjords and coastal landscapes of New Zealand.

The ship will then enter the Pacific, visiting Fiji, Tonga, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia, along with a call to Easter Island. It will proceed to the Americas with a transit of the Panama Canal and calls in Chile and Peru. The Atlantic crossing will follow, taking in Bermuda and two islands in the Azores, Faial and São Miguel, before concluding in Barcelona.

Explora Journeys notes that the extended sailing is intended to provide continuity for those seeking a longer period at sea, with on-board services, enrichment activities and cultural programming aligning with the regions visited. 

The company states that the structure of the journey aims to reduce logistical pressure for guests by offering streamlined transfers and regionally focused shore experiences delivered through local experts.

Reservations for the 2029 World Cruise are scheduled to open in early 2026, with guests able to register interest through the line’s website, travel advisors or the Explora Experience Centre.

Although Dubai has become a prominent turnaround port for regional sailings, only a limited number of cruise lines have previously used the city as the starting point for a full World Cruise. 

MSC Cruises was the first major operator to do so, launching complete global itineraries from Dubai aboard MSC Magnifica in 2020 and MSC Poesia in 2023. Beyond these departures, most lines have limited their Dubai operations to shorter segments within broader world voyages. 

Explora Journeys’ decision to begin its inaugural World Cruise in Dubai therefore places the city among a small group of global homeports selected for complete, continuous circumnavigation-style itineraries.