TRY 137 NIGHTS AT SEA ON LUXURIOUS REGENT SHIP
Seven Seas Navigator will be home to 490 guests on world voyage in 2018
I don’t know about you, but I always step off my cruise feeling like I haven’t had enough onboard time. Whether I’m gone for a week or three, I’m always left wanting more. It seems I’m not alone: back by popular demand, luxury line Regent Seven Seas Cruises (rssc.com) has developed a massive, 137-night world cruise that will set sail in 2018 aboard the stylish Seven Seas Navigator.
On Jan. 8, the refurbished Seven Seas Navigator will leave Los Angeles on a journey of 38,528 nautical miles. Along the way: 64 ports of call in 28 countries and visits to 28 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Well-known for its fleet of three (soon to be four) luxury cruise ships, Regent went through a period where it stopped offering these world voyages. Demand was so strong for its first world cruise in several years, slated to depart Jan. 5 from Miami, that Regent immediately began planning a 2018 followup voyage.
“The overwhelming response to our 2017 world cruise prompted us to offer another unprecedented global adventure,” said Jason Montague, president and chief operating officer for Regent Seven Seas Cruises. “The newly refurbished Seven Seas Navigator is absolutely stunning, and for our 2018 Navigate the World voyage we added more included amenities, making this world cruise the most luxurious and inclusive world cruise available.”
Accommodating just 490 guests, Seven Seas Navigator is one of the most unassuming ships at sea — on the outside. On the inside, she’s a lavish luxury cruise ship of the finest order with some particularly unexpected features for a ship of her size, like a soaring sevenstorey atrium flanked with glass elevators. All accommodations are suites with ocean views, and nearly every one features a private balcony (nice to have when you’re at sea for four-plus months).
Everything about Seven Seas Navigator is designed to wrap you in a world of comfort and luxury. What I really like about the line, though, is its use of bold colours and the mix of traditional and modern decor that appeals to a variety of tastes.
You can see this best in the elegant Compass Rose Restaurant, which features royal blue chairs intermingled with greyand-white patterned chairs, surrounded by crisp white linens, dark wood panelling and oversized windows. And if you’ve sailed aboard Seven Seas Navigator before, you likely won’t even recognize this space, which was stripped to its frame during the ship’s recent renovation and completely redone.
The Compass Rose Restaurant is one of several dining options Regent offers guests, including the casual La Veranda and Prime 7, the line’s signature American-style steak house.
Amenities are only a part of this world voyage. Regent plans to keep guests busy with visits to the Sydney Opera House, Singapore’s Botanical Gardens, Nicaragua’s Leon Viejo ruins, and Malaysia’s Kinabalu Park — the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in that country.
Regent’s Navigate the World voyage also includes a number of free shore excursions, which the line says are worth nearly US$10,000 for all 64 ports of call. These range from a visit to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to wine tastings in South Africa and a private sightseeing tour in Bali, Indonesia.
World-cruise guests are also being treated to additional complimentary amenities, like first-class airfare, door-to-door luggage service, a comprehensive package that includes all necessary visas, unlimited laundry services on board, satellite phone time, and on-board medical services.
Of course, with a starting price of US$59,999 per person, a world cruise isn’t for everyone. Can’t swing 137 days away from the office? You might want to check out Regent’s stunning new ship, Seven Seas Explorer, which makes her debut in Europe this July. She’s billed as one of the most lavish luxury cruise ships to ever set sail, and from what I’ve seen, it looks like she’ll be exactly that.
Closer to home, the company also deploys the very pretty all-suite, all-balcony, 700-guest Seven Seas Mariner on runs to Alaska from Vancouver between now and August. Just be forewarned: Once you start sailing with Regent, you might find it tough to stop.
Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia CruiseShipCenters, 1-800-707-7327, www.cruiseshipcenters.com, for daily updates on cruise news. Contact Aaron Saunders at portsandbowsaaron@gmail.com