For travellers based in Australia, it’s also a milestone moment. Explora Journeys is set to visit Australia for the first time, with a run of maiden calls that includes Cairns, Airlie Beach, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart. For travellers coming from elsewhere, it’s a rare chance to see Australia as part of a wider, multi-continent voyage, without having to stitch together a complicated sequence of flights and hotel stops to make it work.
Explora Journeys has opened reservations for its inaugural world journey aboard Explora I, departing 06 January 2029 and visiting four continents and 60+ destinations, including first-time calls to Cairns, Airlie Beach, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart. Guests can choose 128, 112, or 108 days, with 12 overnights, many maiden calls, door-to-door flights and transfers, luggage and visa support, and shipboard credit.
This is a world voyage with a clear start date, clear endpoints, and a clear philosophy. Explora Journeys is framing it around the luxury of time, which is a practical promise once you look at the overnights and the wide spread of destinations. It’s also designed to remove some of the usual planning friction, which matters when your travel horizon stretches into months, not weeks.
Explora I departs on 06 January 2029, and travellers can choose one of three voyage lengths. The full sailing runs 128 days from Dubai to Barcelona, which is the complete arc for anyone who wants to follow the journey all the way through. Two shorter options are also available: a 112-day itinerary ending in New York City and a 108-day voyage ending in Miami, which can be a better fit if you want the world-voyage feeling but need a slightly shorter commitment.
The endpoints matter in a real-world way. Barcelona creates an easy bridge into Europe for travellers who might want to add land time after, while New York and Miami can suit travellers who want to finish with a US stay or link into onward flights from major international hubs.
The voyage spans four continents and more than 60 destinations, with almost 40 other maiden calls beyond Australia. That variety is part of the appeal, because long travel is easier to enjoy when each region feels meaningfully different from the last. The itinerary also includes ports across the Indian Ocean, the South Pacific, Peru, and Komodo Island, which suggests a deliberate mix of cultural depth and nature-forward scenery.
If you’ve done plenty of “greatest hits” itineraries before, maiden calls can feel like a refreshing reset. They can bring a sense of discovery back into cruising, especially when paired with slower pacing and longer time in port.
Explora, I will stay overnight in 12 destinations, and that detail changes the entire tone of the trip. Overnights give you evenings ashore, longer touring windows, and the chance to experience a destination beyond daytime highlights. It also means you can pace yourself, enjoy a quieter morning, or plan something special at night without feeling like you’re racing back to the ship.
For many travellers, this is where a long voyage starts to feel more like living and less like ticking boxes. It’s also a nice fit with Explora’s messaging on unhurried discovery and cultural curiosity, because time in port makes curiosity easy to act on.
Australia’s inclusion is not just a quick drop-in; it’s a meaningful sequence of ports that show different sides of the country. This matters for travellers who want contrast within a long itinerary, because contrast is what keeps a months-long voyage feeling fresh. It also creates natural “join or leave” opportunities for friends or family who might want to meet you for a segment in Australia.
Cairns and Airlie Beach are ports that naturally invite you to slow down and look outward. Cairns is a gateway to reef and rainforest experiences, but it also works for travellers who prefer a gentle day, an easy walk, a long lunch, and time by the water. In a world voyage context, that kind of “choose your pace” port is a genuine relief, because you don’t always want a full-on touring day after weeks at sea.
Airlie Beach brings a different holiday rhythm, coastal, breezy, and naturally relaxed. It’s the kind of place where an organised excursion can be brilliant, but doing very little can also feel like the right choice, especially when you’re balancing months of movement and stimulation.
Brisbane is a smart inclusion because it gives you city time without making the day feel heavy. It’s well-suited to travellers who enjoy food, waterfront strolling, and easy cultural moments, and it also works well for meet-ups with locals, which can be a highlight when you’re travelling for a long stretch.
Sydney is a stand-out port for both Australians and international visitors, especially when it arrives as part of a bigger narrative rather than a single holiday. You can make it a classic sightseeing day, or keep it simple and soak up the harbour atmosphere, and either way, it tends to feel memorable when you’re arriving by sea.
Melbourne shifts the energy again, with a more arts-and-food-driven style of exploring that suits travellers who like laneways, galleries, and neighbourhood wandering. On a long voyage, cities like this often become the places where you lean into curiosity, rather than just scenery, and that fits neatly with Explora’s stated values.
Hobart adds cooler-weather contrast and a different kind of waterfront mood, and it’s often a port where slowing down feels natural. In a journey measured in months, ports that invite calm can be just as satisfying as ports that deliver wow-factor sightseeing.
One of the most practical parts of this announcement is the emphasis on door-to-door service, which includes business class flights and transfers, as well as luggage and visa logistics. When a voyage is this long, admin can become the thing that stops people from booking, not the cost, and not the destinations. The promise here is that the journey should feel supported from the start, not just once you step onboard.
International business class flights and transfers are designed to make the beginning and end of the trip feel smoother, which matters when you’re embarking in Dubai and travelling across multiple continents. Whether you’re flying in from Australia, Europe, Asia, North America, or the Middle East, having flights and transfers wrapped into the journey helps standardise the start experience. It can reduce timing stress, cut down the number of separate bookings, and make embarkation day feel far less chaotic.
It also supports travellers who want to arrive feeling decent. A long voyage is a lot more enjoyable when you start well-rested, rather than starting with jetlag and a scramble.
Visa requirements and paperwork can be genuinely time-consuming on a multi-continent itinerary, even for seasoned travellers. Luggage logistics add another layer, especially if you’re changing climates and regions repeatedly. Including support for these practicalities can make the voyage feel more approachable, because it removes the “what am I forgetting” anxiety that sometimes comes with long travel.
This is also a quiet form of luxury. It’s not flashy, but it’s the kind of support that protects your time, and time is exactly what Explora is selling with this voyage.
Two inclusions that matter more than they first appear are weekly laundry and a comprehensive medical programme onboard. Weekly laundry reduces the need to pack excessively and makes it easier to feel comfortable as climates shift. Over months, that can be the difference between feeling organised and feeling like you’re constantly managing your suitcase.
Onboard medical support adds peace of mind, especially for travellers who plan carefully and want reassurance that practicalities have been considered. It does not change the adventure; it simply makes it easier to relax into it.
Alongside the logistics inclusions, guests will also receive a shipboard credit of up to US$1,000 (approx. A$1,414), which can help travellers personalise the experience without constantly reaching for their wallet. This is particularly useful on a long voyage, where small comforts and occasional extras can add up over time. It’s also a practical budgeting tool, because it creates flexibility without needing to pre-commit to every extra before you sail.
On shorter cruises, shipboard credit can feel like a nice bonus, but on a voyage of this length, it can genuinely shape your routine. It can support occasional spa time, a special onboard experience, or simply give you breathing room for the things you decide you want once you’re already living the journey. Over months, the ability to choose as you go is often more valuable than trying to pre-plan every detail.
It’s also worth noting the wording “up to,” which suggests the credit amount may vary depending on which journey option you choose or how the booking is structured. This is one of the areas where getting the exact details early can prevent misunderstandings later.
If you love sea days, you might put shipboard credit towards wellness and relaxation, because sea days become part of your lifestyle on a world voyage. If you love destinations most, you might focus your onboard spend on practical comforts that keep you energised, rather than going all-in on onboard extras. The best approach is usually a mix: plan for a few treats, then leave room for spontaneity.
This is also where your stateroom preferences matter. If you prioritise having your own calm space, you may decide that stateroom category is your main “splurge,” and then use credit for smaller comforts along the way.
Before booking, it helps to ask how the shipboard credit is applied, what it can be used for, and whether the amount differs between the 128, 112, and 108-day options. It’s also worth confirming the exact scope of door-to-door support, including how flights and transfers are scheduled and how visa logistics are handled. These questions are not about being fussy; they’re about making sure the journey feels as smooth in practice as it sounds on paper.
If you’re travelling from outside the embarkation region, it’s also sensible to discuss buffer time in Dubai before departure. Starting a long voyage with a calm arrival is one of the simplest ways to protect your enjoyment.
A world voyage is not just a holiday, it’s a lifestyle choice for a while. Explora Journeys is positioning this experience around unhurried discovery, intuitive service, and a deep connection to the sea, which is a clear signal about who will love it most. If that sounds like your travel personality, it may be a very good match.
This voyage suits travellers who enjoy depth, rhythm, and routine, rather than constant high-energy activity. If you like sea days, enjoy reading, dining slowly, and taking your time in destinations, the structure of overnights and maiden calls is likely to feel rewarding. It also suits travellers who want the world to unfold in chapters, rather than in short, separate trips spread across years.
If you prefer quick getaways and constant novelty every hour, a world voyage can feel too long. That’s not a problem, it’s simply a different travel style, and the best cruise is always the one that matches how you like to feel.
The biggest barrier for many travellers is not interest, it’s time. The three duration options help because they allow you to choose a commitment level that fits your real-life calendar. It can also help to think in terms of “seasons,” what you’re comfortable being away from, what you want to pause, and what you want to return to feeling refreshed rather than overwhelmed.
It’s also worth talking through how you want to re-enter normal life afterwards. Ending in Barcelona, New York, or Miami creates different post-voyage possibilities, and planning a gentle landing can be just as important as planning the sailing itself.
The run of Australian ports creates a unique opportunity for travellers to share a segment of the trip with others. Friends or family might meet you for a few days in Sydney or Melbourne, or join you for a short stay around Cairns or Airlie Beach. This can be especially meaningful on long journeys, because shared moments anchor the experience emotionally, not just geographically.
For Australians, it can also be a fun reversal, seeing familiar places through a different lens, as part of a global narrative rather than a standalone trip. For international travellers, it’s a rare chance to experience Australia without building a separate, complicated itinerary around it.
If you’d like to explore how this kind of long-form voyage compares with other cruise styles and timelines, S.W. Black Travel’s Cruise Finder is a helpful place to start. It lets you scan options and get a feel for what “slow travel by sea” looks like across different regions and durations.
Once you’ve narrowed down what suits your pace, revisit Cruise Finder to compare embarkation and disembarkation cities, and to sense-check how a long voyage could fit alongside your wider travel plans. It’s a simple way to move from curiosity to a shortlist that feels realistic.
If the idea of time-rich travel speaks to you, Explora I’s 2029 sailing is designed to reward patience and curiosity, with overnights, many maiden calls, and practical support that removes a lot of the usual admin. It’s also a rare chance to experience Explora Journeys’ first Australian season as part of a wider world route, rather than as a standalone regional itinerary. The key is choosing the duration that fits your life, then shaping the pre- and post-journey details so the whole experience feels calm.
If you’d like help comparing the three journey options and mapping out the smoothest door-to-door plan, you can start planning with S.W. Black Travel here, and the team will help tailor timing, stateroom choices, and the Australia port segment to your travel style.