Explora Journeys has revealed details of the maiden voyage for its first of six ships, Explora I, which will set sail in July next year.
The brand will make its debut with a 15-night inaugural journey to northern Europe, with calls to 12 ports.
Explora I will leave Southampton on 17 July 2023 on its first voyage, entitled A Maiden Journey into Epic Fjords and the Arctic Circle.
The ship will call at Zeebrugge before proceeding to Norway, where it will visit Geiranger, Trondheim, Molde, Leknes, Bronnoysund, Flam, Bergen and Stavanger. It then sails to Denmark, with visits to Skagen and Copenhagen.
Michael Ungerer, the chief executive, said: “Our vision and purpose from day one has been to create a travel and ocean experience like no other, and we are thrilled that our ground-breaking new class of ship, Explora I, will introduce guests during her maiden journey to some of the most breath-taking destinations in northern Europe while enjoying the finest luxury hospitality at sea.”
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is increasing its capacity by six per cent in Europe in 2023, coming at the expense of the Caribbean, according to Frank Del Rio, president and CEO, speaking on the company’s third-quarter earnings call.
He said that yields on ticket prices and onboard revenue for cruises in Europe were “dramatically better.”
And this is in despite of limitations in the Baltic, with ships not calling at Russia’s Saint Petersburg.
“If you had asked me what is the single city in the world, port in the world that you cannot live without, I’d tell you it’s Saint Petersburg, and we lost it,” Del Rio said. “Very, very high yields, incredible shore excursion sales. So onboard revenue was just higher than any other itineraries that I can think of, and it’s a relatively long season. You can get (there) in mid-May and you can leave in mid-September.”
That limitation in 2022 sent one Norwegian ship elsewhere, as the Getaway moved to the Caribbean for the summer sailing from Port Canaveral.
“It did affect load factors and no question, it affected pricing. And the impact on EBITDA has to be in the tens of millions of dollars,” Del Rio explained.
But both the Baltic and the Mediterranean look encouraging for 2023, with Del Rio noting that Americans travelling to Europe book the highest cabin categories earliest.
“This revenge travel or pent-up demand that we’ve been talking about for months is really alive and well for Americans going to Europe,” he said.
“We believe that Europe is poised for an incredible 2023 season. That’s why we increased our capacity there by 6 percentage points of occupancy at the expense of the Caribbean. And I’ll take that trade all day long because the yields both on a ticket and on onboard revenue are so dramatically better for European cruises that we’ll take that trade.”
After being converted into a Carnival Cruise Line ship in Europe, the Carnival Luminosa continued its month-long voyage to Australia with a visit to Singapore, which was captured by the Singapore Cruise Society in these photos.
With no passenger onboard, the 2009-built vessel recently spent a day docked at the Asian port before departing for Brisbane – its new homeport.
Set to arrive at the Australian port later this month, the Luminosa will then start its maiden voyage on November 6.
On the day, the 2,260-guest ship departs Brisbane on a seven-night Great Barrier Reef cruise. In addition to two days at sea, the itinerary includes visits to Airlie Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas and Willis Island.
In the region through mid-April, the Carnival Luminosa offers additional cruises to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific before repositioning to Alaska for a summer program in 2023.
Before returning to Australia for the 2023-2024 season, the ship is also slated to sail Carnival’s longest-ever cruise.
The 30-day transpacific voyage sails from Seattle to Brisbane and features visits to Alaska, Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Transferred from Costa Cruises in September, the former Costa Luminosa blends Carnival’s service, food and signature features with the look and elements of its former operator.
While being prepared for its debut, the 92,000-ton vessel saw some of its public areas transformed to offer the signature experiences and spaces of the U.S.-based cruise line during a recent drydock in Italy.
In addition to Carnival’s new hull livery, the Luminosa also saw the addition of new dining venues such as Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Chef’s Table and Bonsai Sushi Express.
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