Good things come to those who wait

The much anticipated Seven Seas Explorer was christened this week by Princess Charlene of Monaco. Teresa Machan boards ‘the most luxurious ship ever built’

Fancy staying in the most exclusive address at sea? Seven Seas Explorer may have only just launched but its palatial Regent Suite featuring the first in-room spa retreat at sea is almost booked solid between now and Christmas. It is selling so well, in fact, that in January the price is likely to go up, from $10,000 to $15,000 a night, or “whatever the market can bear”, according to chief executive and president of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Frank Del Rio.

I boarded Explorer last week for a five-night “shakedown” cruise from Barcelona to Monte Carlo. On Wednesday, flanked by yachts and gin palaces, the newest addition to the Regent fleet was christened by HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco, a fitting choice of godmother for “The Most Luxurious Ship Ever Built”. So certain is the line that it has punched through the five-star ceiling, it has trademarked that proclamation.

From the window curtains in the tender boats to the top suite’s bespoke £112,000 bed, there is nothing cookie-cutter about Explorer. “Regent hasn’t launched a ship since 2003,” said Del Rio. “We wanted to build something that would shine a light on the brand.”

That “light” comes with a £340million price tag, a no-expensespared chit borne out in Explorer’s inventively glamorous restaurants, statement suites and luxe interiors. There are 5,000 glittering (tastefully so) chandeliers and 2,200 pieces of art on board, including a Chagall and a Picasso or two hung at the doubledoor entrance to the Regent Suite.

On a typical 14-night voyage 2,000lb of lobster will be consumed, some of it from the 400 Versace place settings. All cabins are suites, which means a separate lounge area with sofa and interactive television. Music to passengers’ ears is the 52,000 sq ft of balcony space – an average of 138 sq ft per cabin.

The 3,875 sq ft Regent Suite has a balcony that loops around the front of the ship and its own therapy room with ocean-view shower, a pair of heated marble loungers, and a sauna and steam room. The master bed took a year to make and is fitted with a Savoir mattress made from a bredfor-this-purpose horse hair. Fringe benefits include complimentary inroom spa treatments and a luxury car with driver in every port.

The Regent, Explorer and Master suites are currently waiting-list-only and cost an eye-watering £27,509, £12,989 and £10,089 respectively, for a 10-night cruise next May.

Dakota Jackson designed the Seven Seas Suite, as well as the limitededition Steinway Arabesque piano in the Regency Suite. Less Bond, more Hepburn, my favourite was the Explorer suite with its art deco-inspired furnishings and stylish grey and jewel-green decor. In my own Concierge suite, measuring 464 sq ft, things didn’t run quite as smoothly as expected. But we were guinea pigs and snagging was to be expected. Our suite-defining curtains jammed on their runners and on the first night I got trapped in the shower when the sliding door came off its hinge. It was a novel way to meet the captain. “The call came through to the Bridge so I thought I’d come myself!” he said. My companion had rung for help and posted a dressing gown over the top of the door. The engineer who arrived a few seconds later said it was the sixth shower door he’d been to fix that day. Had I been alone it would have been a lonely wait until turndown.

The double-level pool deck is beautifully finished. The decks are furnished with canopied bathing pods and voile privacy curtains and instead of the usual white-painted steelwork, the eyes rest on a patterned, punchedmetal false ceiling.

Some of the most striking features are reserved for the restaurants and bars. Chartreuse, Regent’s art nouveau-inspired signature restaurant, features a window-facing wall of gold-leaf patterning studded with microscopic crystal beads, handcrafted and shipped to Italy

The main pool on the ship, top right; and the Regent Suite’s therapy room, above right the wrong condiments. Staff were not yet working as a team.

Of course, fixing teething problems is what shakedown cruises are all about. With 10 days to go until the first revenue-earning cruise, senior executives were unpeturbed. Jason Montague, president and chief operating officer of Regent Seven Seas, said staff were learning new galley systems and that on a normal cruise there would be far fewer tables of six or eight. “We can improve on and hone all of this,” he said. On the couple of occasions we did dine as a two, service was excellent.

The concensus among the travel agents on board was that it would all come good. “I’d hold off on making any assumptions yet,” said one. “Regent will get it right. They can’t afford not to.”

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