Cruising is becoming ever more popular as it offers a way to travel to many areas of the world without repacking a suitcase. There are so many cruise companies, all providing a slightly different experience and quality, that it is often difficult to choose between them.
Why Regent Seven Seas Cruises?
At the top end of the luxury cruises market, a Regent Seven Seas Cruise is renowned for its service levels and quality of food. Always courteous and helpful, staff watch for opportunities to attend to a passenger’s every need, but they are not ‘over the top’ about it as in some other luxury lines. They are observant, but discreet.
Everything onboard, from the staterooms and suites to the restaurants and leisure facilities, is of a high standard, as most of their guests expect. More unexpected, perhaps, is the spaciousness of rooms and decks, meaning there is never any crowding, or a rush for deck loungers and seats. The size of the staterooms, veranda and walk-in wardrobe must be among the best on any cruise.
One advantage of such a top-end luxury cruise line is the fact that all drinks are included in the cost of the cruise. That means every single drink, from the water and soft drinks provided each day in the stateroom along with fresh fruit, to spirits and other drinks in the bars, and the good quality wine served in the restaurants. A bottle of champagne awaits each guest in their room on arrival.
Regent Seven Seas Voyager and Mariner
Regent’s two similar ships, Voyager and Mariner, are the first all-suite, all-balcony cruise ships at sea and they each carry around 700 guests with a very high ratio of staff. Both ships were recently completely refurbished. As well as their main large restaurant, the Compass Rose, and a more casual Veranda Cafe, which becomes a Mediterranean-style Bistro in the evening, they also offer two exclusive evening dining options at no extra cost.
Le Cordon Bleu standard Signatures restaurant is the very best in French cuisine, offering a fine dining experience. The new Prime 7 Steakhouse is a feast of American-size steaks and other excellent meat, as well as the famous ‘surf and turf’ combination of steak and lobster. Both restaurants are furnished to a high standard.
Regent Seven Seas Navigator
The slightly smaller ship, the Navigator, carries around 500 guests with the same high ratio of staff. Like the other two ships, Navigator is being completely refurbished. As well as introducing the Prime 7 dining option, guests will also have the option of the main restaurant, or the Veranda Café (evening Bistro).
During the day, there is casual eating available on the pool deck. Evening dress code on all three ships is now either Elegant Casual, for cruises of fifteen nights or less, or Formal Optional which is offered on cruises above sixteen nights.
Facilities Onboard the Regent Ships
Each ship is well equipped to provide the ultimate cruising experience for guests at sea, with a full range of facilities. These include the following:
- Canyon Ranch Spa with full range of treatments and gym facilities
- Library offering a full range of fiction and non-fiction, and magazines
- Internet Café with a large selection of computers and tuition if desired at certain times
- Several Lounges with live music, dancing and lectures at various times
- Casino
- Double-tiered Theatre with an excellent live orchestra and professional entertainment
- Swimming Pools, Games Deck and Jogging Track
- Laundry Service, and Laundrette Self-Service on every second deck, with irons and ironing board
- Television and DVD provided in every room.
Regent Cruises Shore Excursions and Enrichment Lecturers
Several of the Regent Seven Seas Cruises itineraries offer free shore excursions on certain sailings and these are printed in the relevant brochures. All their shore tours use the Audio Headphone System which allows guests to hear the guide, within a certain distance, while wandering around sights.
A knowledgeable shore excursion lecturer informs guests about the different port of call before arrival, with details of what to see and where to shop. There are usually one or two guest lecturers on every cruise who bring their own knowledge and expertise of fascinating subjects to an enrichment lecture. A recent lecturer on a Baltic cruise covered subjects as diverse as Scandinavian history, Russian Composers and Hans Christian Anderson.
With the huge variety of cruising available these days, passengers are often unsure about which cruise line to choose. From Clipper sailing ships and graceful liners to the new gigantic cruise villages, each line offers a different experience.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is ideal for the discerning traveller who expects a high standard of discreet service and affordable luxury. With all gratuities and drinks included, there are no extra costs or unnecessary sales pushes onboard. There is the opportunity to book further cruises onboard, often at a reduced cost. And having experienced one Regent cruise, most guests will be keen to book another.
Rosemary Gemmell - Professional freelance writer of published short stories and articles in the UK, US and online. Author of historical romance and ...
Join the Conversation