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Cruises You Probably Shouldn’t Book
An honest word from the people who, yes, sell them for a living. We sell cruises. River cruises mostly, plus...
The luxury end of river cruising has a new name on the way. Explora Journeys, the upmarket ocean brand from the MSC Group, has confirmed it’s building its first river ships, with sales planned to open in 2027.
It’s early days, so there’s more we don’t know than we do. Here’s where things stand, and what to watch for next.
What has Explora announced?
On 24 September 2026, Explora confirmed it has signed a letter of intent with Den Breejen Shipyard in the Netherlands to build its first luxury river ships. A letter of intent usually comes before a firm shipbuilding contract, so this is the brand putting a clear stake in the ground rather than a finished plan.
At sea, Explora sells itself on what it calls its Ocean State of Mind: a relaxed, unhurried style of travel with European hospitality and design at its heart. The idea is to bring that same approach to Europe’s best-known rivers.
The one firm date so far is for bookings. Sales are planned to open in 2027.
What we don’t know yet
Quite a lot, if we’re honest. Explora hasn’t yet said:
- How many river ships it’s planning
- Which rivers they’ll sail
- When the first ship will enter service
- How many guests each ship will carry
- What the ships will be like on board
- Where the first itineraries will go
Explora says details on ship design, onboard experiences, delivery schedules and first itineraries will follow. We’ll update this page as each piece lands.
A shipyard you may already know
If you’ve taken a river cruise before, there’s a fair chance you’ve sailed on a Den Breejen ship without realising it. The Dutch yard lists 40 river cruise ships on its website, including ships for Avalon Waterways, Scenic and Emerald Cruises. It’s also currently building ships for Transcend.
One of its best-known builds is Emerald Luna, a 135-metre ship carrying 182 guests on the Rhine, Main and Danube. That doesn’t tell us what Explora’s ships will look like. It does tell us they’re in experienced hands.
Who are Explora Journeys?
Explora is the MSC Group’s luxury brand, based in Geneva and sister brand to MSC Cruises. Its first ship, Explora I, sailed from Copenhagen in August 2023.
It’s growing quickly. Explora III was delivered on 23 July 2026, and three more ocean ships (Explora IV, V and VI) are being built at Fincantieri in Italy, with the last due in 2028. So the move onto the rivers comes while Explora is still only halfway through its ocean plans.
Word first got out in July, when Italian maritime outlet Shipping Italy reported that MSC was studying the European river market. Explora wouldn’t comment on the rumours at the time. Now it’s official.
A busy time on Europe’s rivers
Explora isn’t the only ocean line heading inland. Celebrity Cruises launches its river voyages in 2027 aboard Celebrity Compass and Celebrity Seeker, while Lindblad Expeditions and Trafalgar both started river cruising this year.
They’re joining some well-established names. Viking has run ocean and river ships side by side for years, and Scenic Group does the same through Scenic and Emerald.
There’s plenty of demand to go round. According to trade group IG RiverCruise, 386 river cruise ships sailed in Europe in 2025, carrying 1.49 million passengers.
What happens next?
The next round of announcements should answer the big questions: which rivers, how many ships and what life on board will look like. We’ll keep this page updated as details are confirmed, and the Crui.se team will be ready to help as soon as sales open in 2027.
Don’t fancy waiting that long? Luxury river cruising is already well served. Scenic, Uniworld and Emerald Cruises all sail the Rhine and Danube, and our team can help you compare them. Browse our river cruises or ask Crui.se for a recommendation.
