Regent Seven Seas Cruise

In October of last year I was chosen by Travel Counsellors to represent the company on an Educational trip on the brand new six star cruise ship Seven Seas Explorer. This brand new ship was launched in July 2016 and was dubbed 'the world's most luxurious ship'! The Seven Seas Explorer is a $450 million, 750 passenger, all suite, all inclusive ship, and she certainly lived up to this.

From the minute we were met at Rome Airport, to embarking the ship in Civitavecchia, and disembarking in Athens, we were treated like royalty! We experienced a mini 5-night itinerary, starting in Rome, then on to Sorrento, a day at sea, Napflion on mainland Greece, and the Greek Island of Mykonos, before disembarking in Athens.

Regent offer a programme of included excursions which clients can select from a few months before they sail. These can range from a short 2-hour walking tour, to a full-day highlights tour, the tour guides were extremely knowledgeable and professional and all excursions we experienced were excellent.

Dining on-board is food lovers delight!! The ship has a main dining room the "Compass Rose" where guests can take dinner at any time - no set dining with the cruise company. In the evenings, guests can also experience the ship's speciality restaurants of which there are 3 on this ship: Chartreuse for authentic French cuisine, Pacific Rim which is their Pan Asian restaurant and Prime 7 their steak & seafood restaurant. Resevations are required for these 3 restaurants, and they are included in the cruise fare. For a more casual dining experience there is the option of Sette Mari. Breakfast and lunch can be taken poolside, or up on deck if preferred and again there was a great amount of choice.

Our stateroom was beautifully appointed as you would imagine with a new ship. It featured a balcony to sit out on, a living area, bedroom, dressing area and a private marble and stone detailed bathroom. On arriving at our stateroom we were welcomed with a bottle of champagne and a fresh fruit arrangement. We enjoyed free WIFI throughout the sailing.

During our day at sea, we opted to spend time by the pool, usually this area can get very busy on ships when it is a day at sea, however I noted that this was not the case on the Explorer and there were plenty of sunbeds and sundeck areas for everybody. There is only one main pool with Jacuzzis on this ship, and it made for a lovely relaxed poolside atmosphere, with staff serving drinks to all as and when required!

For anybody wanting to keep fit whilst on holiday this ship has a state of the art gym and offers a host of complimentary exercise classes. We chose to do the deck walk for exercise! We also had an afternoon at the Canyon Ranch Spa, and enjoyed a massage and then a dip in the spa`s infinity pool overlooking the back of the ship.

This is all-inclusive luxury cruising at its best. Once you have paid your fare there is little else to budget for, your dining, drinks, entertainment, a selection of excursions, and gratuities are included. The staff on-board do not expect tips and they do their job beautifully, looking after your every need and remembering your favourite tipple! The Explorer offers the highest guest to staff member ratio.

I felt extremely privileged to experience the beautiful cruise ship and it is one that I will recommend and never forget!