An inside look on board “The Most Luxurious Ship Ever Built". Video / Sarah Pollok
You’ve got to admit, it takes a fair amount of confidence to market your product as the most luxurious, ever.
At the minimum, you’re basically asking your customers to have sky-high expectations, with the belief you can match, if not exceed them.
Well, that’s exactly what the Regent Seven Seas Cruises did. In fact, after launching the ‘Seven Seas Explorer’ ship in 2015, the cruise line went ahead and trademarked the line “The Most Luxurious Ship Ever Built™”.
Not “A Really Luxurious Ship” or “One of the Most Luxurious Ships”. Oh no, the most luxurious ship ever built.
So, when we heard this uber-luxe vessel was arriving at Auckland on its inaugural voyage to New Zealand, we were more than a little curious to check out the “unrivalled luxuries” it promised passengers.
The chandelier hanging in the lobby of the ship is one of 473. Photo / Regent Seven Seas Cruises®
We’re shown around by Steve Odell, who, as of a week ago, is the ex-managing director Asia Pacific, Regent Seven Seas Cruises. After seven years at the helm, Odell is cruising into early retirement, literally; departing Auckland on the ship as a passenger.
After stepping aboard, we pass tables of champagne set up in front of a four-metre-tall crystal chandelier dangling over a spiral staircase. So far, so luxurious but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Everywhere you look there are nods to opulence; 473 Swedish-designed chandeliers and 4,262 square metres of marble, Versace-designed dinnerware and crystal glasses from Eastern Europe. Some lavish touches are more subtle than others, like certain pieces of the ships $11 million collection of art.
“You’ll see some Picasso and some Chigalls around,” Odell said casually as we walked from the two-storey theatre to the Serene Spa and Wellness™ centre.
The ship features an art collection worth US$7 million. Photo / Regent Seven Seas Cruises®
Our first stop is to check out the rooms, or more accurately, the suites. That’s right, like Regent’s last two new ships, all 366 rooms are suites.
The smallest cost $600pp, per night, and sleep two people. While at the top end of the spectrum, the one Regent suite takes up a staggering 281 square metres, almost double the size of the average house in Aotearoa. Inside, guests can enjoy an in-suite spa and two massive bedrooms, a mini pool and a lounge featuring a Steinway piano.
Luxury of this tier obviously doesn’t come cheap. The room costs US$11,000 (NZ$17,200) per night, making a 14-day journey like the one from Auckland to Sydney around $240,800. Although, perhaps the pricetag is softened by the fact that, like all rooms on board and unlike most ships, it’s genuinely all-inclusive.
From meals to unlimited drinks (including spirits and fine wine), cooking classes and shore excursions, after paying for your room, guests don’t have to pull out their wallet for a thing if they don’t wish to. In-suite liquor and mini-bar are replenished daily, valet laundry service is covered and even gratuities are prepaid.
Regent suite guests do get some additional perks, like an on-call butler, private guide and car at all ports, a pre-cruise hotel and transfer and guaranteed spots at all onboard restaurants. Plus, a private secret dining room is hidden behind a sliding door in one of the restaurants.
A peek inside the Regent Suite; the most expensive room on board the ship. Photo / Regent Seven Seas Cruises®
All other onboard amenities are available for everyone to use and cover almost every leisure activity one could want. There’s the infinity pool and the golf putting green, a fully stocked library and hair salon, culinary arts kitchen (where chefs are brought on board to teach classes), puzzle tables and fully operating casino.
Aside from the lavish décor and countless activities, the other thing that hits you is the sense of space, and for good reason. The ship boasts one of the highest space-to-guest ratios in the world, Odell tells us as we pass through massive atriums, a giant two-floor theatre and the largest restaurant at sea, Compass Rose. If it wasn’t for the ocean views around us, it would be impossible to tell you were floating at sea.
One of the restaurants on board. Photo / Regent Seven Seas Cruises®
The world of private butlers and crystal chandeliers may be out of reach for most Kiwi travellers, but if you were in search of the most luxurious cruise ship in the world, well, it’s hard to imagine anything better than this.
