Guests in the penthouse suite aboard Regent Seven Seas Explorer enjoy their own personal butler. Video/George Block
It’s the all-inclusive cruise liner where there’s nearly as many crew as passengers and where guests wallow in luxury as they cross oceans with limitless fine dining all at your doorstep. Herald reporter George Block crossed the Northern Pacific on Regent Seven Seas Explorer as part of a media contingent and reveals what’s on offer on the ship.
On a cruise from Alaska to Japan this year, passengers swapped towering glaciers and islands home to almost as many bears as people for quiet fishing villages, Shinto shrines and finally the bustling streets of Tokyo.
There was one part of the voyage that caused some trepidation among the group of travel writers from around the world.
That was the prospect of spending five days straight at sea, while the ship skirted the Aleutian Islands before leaving United States waters and traversing the better part of 4000km across the Northern Pacific, below the Russian peninsula of Kamchatka before finally reaching Japan.
But for this writer at least, the prospect of five days of enforced isolation in a wild and remote ocean was the part of the trip I was most looking forward to.
The view of Unalaska Island in the Aleutians from the private deck on the concierge suite aboard the Regent Seven Seas Explorer.
The scene was set as we sailed out of Dutch Harbour, Alaska, the top commercial fishing port in the US by volume of catch. It’s home to the lucrative but dangerous crab fishery made famous in the Discovery Channel series Deadliest Catch.
While the Aleutian Islands are infamous for wild weather, rocky shores and dangerous approaches for ships, the sea was calm as we sailed out of the harbour beneath the stark, treeless mountains, several topped by World War II bunkers.
The grand entranceway leads from the reception to the landing for Compass Rose and the Explorer Lounge on Regent Seven Seas Explorer.
A few minutes after leaving, passengers spotted in the distance a pod of humpback whales, which approached the ship and began escorting it out of the harbour. Everyone on board scrambled to the top deck to get photos.
This set the scene for the rest of the time crossing the Pacific. We would regularly see whales, dolphins and bluefin tuna alongside the ship, plus what I believe, based on the timing of the migration, were godwits on their epic journey from Alaska to New Zealand, as well as the occasional albatross.
Passengers watch a pod of dozens of humpback whales as the Regent Seven Seas Explorer leaves Dutch Harbour.
The Seven Seas Explorer was built in Genoa, Italy and launched in 2015. It’s on the small side of large cruise ships, with capacity for 746 guests looked after by 548 crew. No expense was spared in construction and it’s fitted out with hundreds of chandeliers, contemporary art at every turn and wood panelling throughout.
Captain Luca Morvillo says she was built for comfort and luxury, not speed, with her hull and propellers designed to minimise vibrations, while any roll is minimised with the stabiliser fins that have become standard on modern cruise liners.
Regent aims the ship and its cruises at an older clientele and in many ways, the ship is like stepping back in time.
On our cruise, which began in Vancouver (although we came aboard on September 23 in Seward, Alaska), many of the passengers were wealthy middle-aged or retired Canadians or Americans. Others appeared to have stepped out of the set of the Sicilian series of The White Lotus.
The Seven Seas Explorer berthed in Hakodate in October 2024.
There is an “elegant casual” dress code after 6pm when collared shirts are expected and wearing jeans to dinner can see you politely asked by a maitre d’ to head back to your room to smarten up.
The code is enforced mainly via disapproving looks, as I learned when I walked through reception on my way to the gym one evening wearing an old Canterbury running singlet.
Days at sea fell into a rhythm of an initial light breakfast, a trip to the gym, then a second more lavish breakfast (meals, like most excursions, are all included).
From there we’d head up to the Observation Lounge on one of the top decks, a quiet, relaxing space where you could sit and read and keep an eye out for passing ships and sea life, and possibly a stint in the games room for some backgammon.
Inside the Observation Lounge on the Regent Seven Seas Explorer.
Then it’d be time for a light lunch, usually at the pool grill followed by a swim or a nap. Dinner would either be at one of the fine dining restaurants, sometimes with the other journalists on board, or ideally at the Compass Rose (more on that below).
Strange things happened to time during the days at sea. You felt as if you were in limbo or statis, and the clock would go back an hour every night as we made our way slowly back across the Pacific.
On September 27, the crew announced we were to cross the date line overnight. Because we were travelling in the opposite direction to the Earth’s rotation, the ship completely missed out September 28, 2024, moving straight from the 27th to the 29th.
During our voyage, internet reception became slow and patchy at times, probably to be expected when you’re thousands of kilometres from the nearest land but something that was the subject of complaints from those on board accustomed to getting what they wanted. I found it a welcome relief and you were usually still able to send WhatsApp messages or emails.
The lounge area in a penthouse suite aboard the Regent Seven Seas Explorer.
Others on board found various ways to while away the time. One couple spent the entire time doing a massive jigsaw. Another man spent all day every day in the “Connoisseur Club” cigar lounge puffing on a Cohiba while reading his Kindle.
Here’s an overview of some of what else the Seven Seas Explorer has to offer.
Board the Regent Seven Seas Explorer and you’re greeted with an expansive atrium where the largest of the hundreds of chandeliers on the ship hangs over two sweeping staircases.
Glass elevators swoop down from the top floors housing the penthouses to the fourth deck, home to the theatre, boutique shops, casino and the Explorer Lounge bar. To the aft of deck four is the Compass Rose, a large and airy speciality restaurant offering a menu of both standard always-available fare and special dishes using food from the country the ship is visiting.
Senior executive chef Kamlesh Koonjee, who oversees nearly 90 other chefs on board, says Compass Rose is his favourite restaurant on board, and we agreed. Koonjee, originally from Mauritius and trained in France, cites the breadth of the menu and the speed and efficiency with which food is delivered thanks to its position near the ship’s massive rear galley.
Koonjee says the menu allows you to mix and match proteins, sauces and sides to create your ideal entree. Seafood options included lobster tail and salmon fillet while New Zealand lamb chops were available alongside Black Angus filet mignon or a roasted half chicken.
Tuna tartare and sashimi at the Pacific Rim Restaurant on Seven Seas Explorer.
Our pick was the whole Dover sole, filleted at your table, with a side of potato gratin and spinach. As an example of the rotating menu, when we were in Alaska, king salmon dominated, alongside crab appetisers.
There are about eight sommeliers on board, managed by I Kadek Ngurah Yasa, from Bali. They offer wine matches for every dish.
Breakfast at Compass Rose is equally diverse and surprising. Guests can, and do, order lamb chops for breakfast alongside the traditional morning fare including croissants baked from scratch by a dedicated patisserie chef. At weekends you can also be offered caviar and mimosas to start, with caviar also available at the occasional buffet breakfasts on board.
Pastry chef Cornel makes croissants fresh from scratch aboard the Regent Seven Seas Explorer each day.
For a lighter range of health-focused options, a “fitness breakfast” including smoothies, yoghurts and muesli is offered at the Pool Grill upstairs on deck 11.
A breakfast buffet is also offered at La Veranda, which turns into an Italian restaurant at night. There are no bookings at Compass Rose and La Veranda, not an issue at the former restaurant due to its size but La Veranda sometimes had queues out the door before opening.
They are far from the only dinner options aboard. Seven Seas Explorer also boasts three fine dining options. They include Pacific Rim, a Pan Asian speciality restaurant with a vibe like a high-end bistro in Shanghai or Singapore; Chartreuse, a French bistro; and Prime 7, billed as a classic American steakhouse. All are so popular that passengers book them months in advance, but bookings for later sittings can usually be secured on board.
Caviar and mimosas for breakfast on Compass Rose.
Our pick for lunch is back at the Pool Grill, the restaurant adjoining the pool area with a humble name that belies the quality and breadth of the resort-style fare on offer. Highlights included the Ahi Tuna burger accompanied by the “sweet potato” fries (the very patient wait staff had to ask Kiwi guests what they meant when they reverted automatically to saying kumara).
A wine tasting with chief sommelier I Kadek Ngurah Yasa, from Bali. Non-alcoholic options were available and growing in popularity, he said.
Bars and lounges
Downstairs, besides Compass Rose, you’ll find the Explorer Lounge, replete with a black marble bar and mahogany panelling. It’s the ideal spot for a pre-dinner cocktail or a nightcap. One floor up is the less formal Meridian Lounge, a brighter space for a quiet beer or glass of wine. Beside the Meridian Lounge is a small casino with slot machines, blackjack tables and a roulette wheel. It only operated in international waters and was not well used.
Both lounges feature frequent live music. For a drink with a view, the Observation Lounge offers a quiet spot to watch the weather roll in over a drink. It also offers a well-attended quiz where a win can earn you Regent reward points to buy items from the boutiques on board.
Down the hall from the Observation Lounge is the Connoisseur Club, aimed at cigar, whisky and brandy enthusiasts – smoking very much allowed. On the cigar menu are the Cohiba Churchhill (US$22/NZ$38), the Arturo Fuente Hemingway ($415) and the Montecristo No 3 ($12).
Staying active
While the clientele of the Seven Seas Explorer tend to be older, they love to stay active. On the top deck there’s a golf driving range area with a net, plus a putting course. Probably most popular was the pickleball and paddle tennis court, encapsulated with a net on all sides and the roof.
At the aft of the ship is a well-appointed gym, with top-of-the-range machines including treadmills, indoor bikes, cross trainers, an erg, weight machines and dumbbells which will allow most people to continue their home routine at sea.
The sun shines on the pool on the Seven Seas Explorer in October 2024.
The fitness centre is overseen by Janna Averilla, who was a successful scholarship basketball player in the Philippines. Averilla also runs fitness classes including spin, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) and yoga. Other guests said the quality of Averilla’s classes was on par with those offered in high-end fitness centres in New York and Los Angeles.
There is also a spacious, heated pool surrounded by deck chairs, with two spas on either side. This was emptied in the at-times rough seas during the crossing from Alaska but came into its own in Japan when the temperature rose.
Downstairs below the fitness centre is the spa, offering beauty treatments, haircuts, manicures, pedicures and massages. There are also a series of thermal rooms including an aroma room, sauna and cool room, plus an infinity plunge pool outside.
Spa manager Amanda Senior, from Jamaica, says one of the most popular services is the “restorative salt stone massage”. Because they use electronically heated salt stones rather than volcanic rocks there is no risk of burns and the heat penetrates deep into the muscle, helping with pain management, Senior says.
The theatre on the Seven Seas Explorer hosts daily live entertainment or lectures.
Complaints about dry skin are common among cruise passengers. Senior recommends using cooler water when showering, exfoliating once or twice a week and moisturising as soon as you get out of the shower.
Senior says some guests make use of the haircuts at least once a week and have their hair done before dinners or parties on board.
Details
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is offering a North Pacific Crossing from Vancouver to Tokyo departing September 17, 2025, for a 19-night voyage with up to 44 shore excursions included. Fares start from NZ$18,360pp for a Deluxe Veranda Suite.
