Luxury ocean line Explora Journeys has opened bookings for its Northern Winter 2027-2028 season, and the plan splits neatly in two: EXPLORA I heads to South America while the brand-new EXPLORA V kicks off its very first season in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Islands.

The South America programme runs from December 2027 to March 2028 and covers a serious stretch of coastline — Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, the Falkland Islands and Chile. Standouts include five overnight stays across Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn and Rio de Janeiro, plus eight late departures that give you proper evenings ashore rather than a rushed few hours. The route also takes in 20 first-time ports for the line, 12 of them in Brazil, before pushing south towards Patagonia proper: Puerto Williams, Punta Arenas and Cape Horn. That's a rare combination in one cruise — big-city Brazil and Argentina plus the raw end-of-the-world scenery at the continent's tip.

EXPLORA V, meanwhile, starts life in December 2027 with Western and Central Mediterranean and North Africa sailings, shifts to the Atlantic Islands in January, then returns to the Mediterranean in March. The inaugural season mixes well-known stops with a few less obvious ones: a maiden call at Crotone in Calabria, late departures from Salerno, Livorno, Palma de Mallorca, Kotor and Ibiza, and overnights in Casablanca and Lisbon. Further highlights include Istanbul, a call at Pauillac for access to Bordeaux's wine estates, and island time in Tenerife, the Canaries and Madeira — a sensible winter-sun counterweight to the cooler European ports.

Line president Anna Nash framed the collections around depth over box-ticking — fewer rushed ports, more time in each place. That's reflected in the overnight and late-departure pattern across both itineraries, which suits travellers who want to actually eat dinner in Buenos Aires or wander Lisbon after the day-trippers leave.

These two collections slot into an already-announced winter programme where EXPLORA II and EXPLORA IV sail the Caribbean and EXPLORA III covers Asia. In other words, by winter 2027-28 the whole five-ship fleet will be deployed, giving loyal guests plenty of choice across four continents. Bookings for the new routes are open now via Explora's website.

Who should care? If you've been curious about the more understated, resort-style cruise experience — think oceanfront suites, multiple restaurants and a quieter onboard vibe than the mega-ships — Explora positions itself exactly there. And with a South America season that reaches Cape Horn and a brand-new ship doing winter Med and Atlantic island hops, there's genuine variety here whether you're chasing tango nights or volcanic beaches.