What is the Explora V cruise ship and when does it visit Gibraltar?
Short answer
Explora V is a new luxury Explora Journeys ship for about 922 guests, due to enter service in December 2027. Its upcoming visits to Gibraltar, with times and expected passengers, are listed on this page.
Upcoming visits to Gibraltar
Monday 6 December 2027, in port 08:00–18:00
Also in port: Arcadia. Combined: about 2,016 passengers where known.
Plan your shore day in Gibraltar
From the Port of Gibraltar schedule, last checked 6 November 2026.
Detailed answer
Explora V is the fifth ship of Explora Journeys, the luxury line of the MSC Group, and is due to enter service in December 2027. Its bow section was launched at Fincantieri's Palermo yard in May 2026, and the ship is being completed at Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente yard in Genoa. It runs on liquefied natural gas, and travel trade listings give it 922 guests and a crew of about 740. Explora says its first voyages explore the Mediterranean in winter, with an overnight stay in Istanbul and New Year's Eve off Naples, before the ship heads for the Red Sea and the Arabian Peninsula. The Gibraltar port listing shows a call on Monday 6 December 2027 with no passenger estimate. The published schedule for its first voyage, leaving Civitavecchia on Saturday 4 December 2027 for Istanbul, shows Messina in Sicily on that day, so the Gibraltar date may change.
How busy will town be?
The upcoming visits listed on this page show the passengers expected on each call and any other ships in port the same day. Town is busiest when several ships are in at once or a large ship arrives at a weekend. A ship carrying a few hundred passengers makes little difference on its own.
Can you sail on it from nearby?
Yes, from 2028. Explora V sails a seven-night voyage from Malaga to Lisbon leaving on Sunday 6 February 2028, calling at Algiers, Cartagena, Melilla and Seville. A seven-night voyage from Barcelona to Lisbon leaving on Saturday 22 April 2028 calls at Ibiza, Malaga, Tangier and Seville. Its December 2027 voyages run between Civitavecchia, Istanbul and Barcelona. Explora sells its voyages through its own website and travel advisers.