Explora Journeys River Ships Are Coming – What We Know So Far
Updated: Oct 4
Explora Journeys Is Heading Inland
On 24 September 2026, the luxury ocean travel brand announced that it had signed a Letter of Intent with Dutch shipbuilder Den Breejen Shipyard for the construction of its first luxury river ships.
It marks the planned entry of Explora Journeys into European river cruising — and, for us, it may be one of the most interesting developments in luxury cruising right now.
Explora says its intention is to take the philosophy behind its ocean ships and bring it to some of Europe's most iconic rivers. Sales for the new Explora Journeys river ships are currently planned to open in 2027.
But there is an important distinction here: this is still a Letter of Intent. Explora has not yet revealed the ship designs, capacity, itineraries, delivery dates or detailed onboard experience.
So, while the announcement is significant, there is still a lot we don't know.
And that's also what makes it so interesting.
Important: The image accompanying this article is an unofficial concept created by Rexhell Cruise & Travel. It does not show an announced or approved Explora Journeys river ship design. Explora Journeys has not yet revealed what its river ships will look like.
For our concept, we imagined how some of the qualities we associate with Explora Journeys — understated European styling, large areas of glass, generous outdoor spaces and a strong connection with the water — might translate to a river vessel. The design itself is entirely fictional.
Explora Journeys is officially planning river ships
The announcement confirms that Explora Journeys has selected Den Breejen Shipyard in the Netherlands for the planned construction of its first luxury river vessels.
Explora describes the move as an extension of what it calls its ‘Ocean State of Mind’ philosophy, bringing its approach to travel, discovery and European hospitality to river cruising.
That gives us a clue about the ambition.
Our reading of the announcement is that this is intended as an extension of the existing Explora Journeys luxury positioning, rather than a separate mass-market river brand.
Everything in Explora's announcement points towards extending the identity it has already established at sea.
Exactly how much of the ocean product can be transferred to a river ship is another question.
What do we know about the Explora Journeys river ships?
At the moment, surprisingly little.
Confirmed so far:
Explora Journeys has signed a Letter of Intent with Den Breejen Shipyard.
The plan is for a fleet, rather than a single river ship.
The ships are intended for European river cruising.
Explora plans to reveal ship design, onboard experiences, delivery dates and itineraries later.
Sales are planned to begin in 2027.
Explora has not yet announced the number of ships involved, their passenger capacity, which rivers they will sail or when the first ship will enter service.
That means any images — including ours below — showing what an Explora river ship might look like are purely conceptual.
What could an Explora river ship actually look like?
This is where things become particularly interesting.
We recently travelled on VIVA ENJOY, giving us a much better understanding of just how different river ships are from ocean-going cruise ships.
River vessels have to operate within very different physical limitations.
They need to pass underneath bridges, fit through locks and navigate waterways where overall height, width and draft matter enormously.
That means we shouldn't expect someone simply to shrink EXPLORA III.
But Explora's design language could translate surprisingly well.
Large windows, warm interiors, understated colours, outdoor spaces and a strong connection with the water already form an important part of the Explora experience.
And on a river, that connection becomes even more immediate.
Instead of watching a coastline several kilometres away, the scenery can be just metres from your window.
Concept image
Important: The image accompanying this article is an unofficial concept created by Rexhell Cruise & Travel. It does not show an announced or approved Explora Journeys river ship design. Explora Journeys has not yet revealed what its river ships will look like.
For our concept, we imagined a low-profile river vessel using some of the visual cues associated with Explora's ocean fleet: a dark hull, clean European styling, large areas of glass and generous outdoor spaces.
That is our interpretation of how Explora’s design language might translate to a river vessel
The big question: can the Explora experience work on a river?
We think this is the most interesting part of the announcement.
Having sailed on EXPLORA I, EXPLORA II and EXPLORA III, there are certain things that now define Explora Journeys for us.
It isn't simply the suites.
It is the combination of space, dining, service, calm public areas and the feeling that you can largely create your own day.
Explora itself describes its ocean fleet around spacious accommodation, multiple dining experiences, wellness and understated European luxury.
River cruising is naturally more constrained.
A river ship simply does not have the physical space available aboard something like EXPLORA III.
So Explora will have to decide which parts of its DNA matter most.
And that could ultimately be much more interesting than trying to reproduce the ocean ships on a smaller scale.
Dining could be one of the biggest opportunities
Dining is one area we will be watching particularly closely.
Explora's ocean ships have made food a major part of the onboard experience, with very different restaurants rather than one main dining room being the centre of everything.
Most river ships cannot realistically offer that many completely separate venues.
But they don't necessarily need to.
A smaller number of restaurants with genuinely different identities could work extremely well.
Perhaps one main restaurant, a smaller speciality concept, a café and a more casual all-day option.
It would also be interesting to see Explora use the destinations more directly.
Regional menus could change as the ship travels through Austria, Germany, Hungary, France or the Netherlands.
On a river ship, the destinations are never far away.
Suites will be another major challenge
Explora's ocean ships place enormous emphasis on accommodation.
Even its entry-level Ocean Terrace Suites are designed around generous interior space, private terraces and a residential rather than traditional cruise-cabin feeling.
River ships present a very different challenge.
Width is restricted.
Balconies consume valuable space.
And every centimetre matters.
We would therefore expect the river product to interpret the Explora suite concept rather than copy it.
Large panoramic windows, clever indoor/outdoor spaces and perhaps fewer but larger suites would make sense.
Whether Explora goes even further and creates a genuinely low-density river vessel is something we will be very interested to discover.
River cruising could suit Explora extremely well
There is another reason this move feels logical.
Explora isn't built around constant activity.
There are no waterslides, race tracks or giant entertainment complexes.
The ocean experience is already centred around food, service, conversation, relaxation and the destinations outside the ship.
Those characteristics translate naturally to river cruising.
In fact, some elements could become even stronger.
Imagine sitting in an Explora-style lounge while sailing slowly through the Wachau Valley, or having breakfast while central Budapest passes directly outside the window.
River cruising makes the destination part of the ship almost continuously.
That feels very compatible with Explora.
What we would personally like to see
There are a few things we particularly hope Explora keeps from its ocean ships.
Firstly: space.
River ships can sometimes feel like every available square metre has been allocated to something. Explora's ocean ships feel different because there is often room simply to exist.
Maintaining some of that feeling would immediately differentiate the product.
Secondly: flexible dining.
One thing we would not want to see is the traditional feeling that everyone needs to eat dinner at approximately the same time every evening.
Explora's freedom around dining is part of what makes the ocean experience work.
Thirdly: the coffee culture.
Yes, Crema Café — or something inspired by it — belongs on a river.
Absolutely.
And finally: outdoor spaces that actually feel special.
A river ship's upper deck can provide some of the best views anywhere in cruising. We'd love to see Explora treat that space as much more than rows of sun loungers.
Explora Journeys vs traditional river cruising
This could also bring a slightly different audience into river cruising.
River cruising has traditionally appealed strongly to travellers for whom the itinerary and organised shore programme are the main attraction.
Explora has approached ocean cruising somewhat differently.
The ships themselves are an important part of the journey, while guests retain considerable freedom over how structured or unstructured they want their days to be.
If Explora carries that philosophy onto the rivers, it could produce something somewhere between a luxury boutique hotel and a traditional European river cruise.
That is potentially where this becomes really interesting.
Which rivers will Explora Journeys sail?
We don't know yet.
Explora has only said that it intends to bring its approach to Europe's most iconic rivers.
The obvious possibilities would include waterways such as the Rhine and Danube, but Explora has not confirmed any destinations or itineraries.
Until the first routes are announced, anything more specific would be speculation.
When will Explora Journeys river cruises go on sale?
Explora says that sales for its river programme are planned to open in 2027.
There is currently no announced date.
Delivery schedules and inaugural itineraries will also be revealed later.
We will update this article as those details become available.
Our first thoughts
This is one announcement we will be following extremely closely.
After experiencing all three current Explora ships, we have a good idea of what works particularly well about the brand.
And after recently spending time on a modern European river ship, we also have a much clearer understanding of just how different the two types of cruising really are.
That is why we don't want Explora simply to build a smaller version of its ocean ships.
The exciting possibility is something new.
A river ship designed around the same values — space, food, service, understated design and freedom — but specifically created around the advantages of river travel.
If Explora gets that balance right, the Explora Journeys river ships could become a very interesting new category within the brand.
For now, though, we have an announcement, a shipyard and a plan.
The actual ships are still waiting to be revealed.
FAQ
Is Explora Journeys launching river cruises?
Yes. Explora Journeys announced on 24 September 2026 that it had signed a Letter of Intent with Dutch shipbuilder Den Breejen Shipyard for the construction of its first luxury river ships.
When will Explora Journeys river ships launch?
Explora has not yet announced when the first river ship will enter service. Delivery schedules will be revealed later.
When can I book an Explora Journeys river cruise?
Sales are currently planned to open in 2027, although an exact date has not been announced.
What rivers will Explora Journeys sail?
No itineraries have been announced yet. Explora has said that it intends to bring its luxury travel concept to some of Europe's most iconic rivers.
What will the Explora Journeys river ships look like?
Explora has not released the ship designs yet. Any current visualisation, including the concept image used in this article, should not be interpreted as an official design.
Is the river ship image in this article official?
No. It is an unofficial Rexhell Cruise & Travel concept image created to illustrate how we imagine an Explora-inspired river vessel could potentially look. It is not supplied, approved or released by Explora Journeys.
Source: Explora Journeys press announcement, 24 September 2026. Rexhell Cruise & Travel is an independent cruise media website. This article and its concept imagery are not produced or approved by Explora Journeys.
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