TravelPulse Onboard: Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Seven Seas Explorer Review

Seven Seas Explorer Regent Seven Seas Cruises
At a Glance	By the Numbers
• Lifestyle: Luxury • Tonnage: 54,000 • Launched: 2016	• Passengers: 750 • Crew: 552 • Passenger Space Ratio: 72
Take a Bow (What to Like)	Pain in the Aft (What to Dislike)
• Excellent Passenger Space Ratio • Spectacular Regent Suite • Seamless and Effortless Service	• Occasional Bottlenecks in Deck Flow • Could Use More Electrical/USB Outlets  • Production Shows Could Improve
Overall Ship Score      Design      Accommodations      Activities     Dining    Entertainment    Service	Who Should Book • Luxury cruisers seeking the most opulence and inclusions.   Who Should Skip • Travelers seeking the best entertainment and extensive activities.

Design

Dubbed by Regent Seven Seas Cruises as “the most luxurious ship ever built," the Seven Seas Explorer has some mighty big shoes to fill, and the new ship succeeds by and large thanks to a stellar design. From the outside, the vessel is relatively pretty with a nice fastback-style stern and swooping bow, but the jutting in and out of the side balconies and two upper decks high above the forecastle give it a somewhat clunky look similar to megaships as well.

Where the ship really shines is on the inside, where high ceilings and a grand atrium that stretches the full height of the passengers decks give the impression of a much larger ship.

Opulence is everywhere with crystal chandeliers almost always punctuating overhead, and the art collection is beyond extensive, hand-picked by President and Chief Executive Officer, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Frank Del Rio and his wife. My personal favorite piece is that below which abstractly conveys a ship's stairwell and its ascending and descending passengers.

The most beautiful stretch of the ship is the collonade from the atrium's stairs (pictured above, below the grandest of chandeliers) to the Compass Rose restaurant (pictured below), itself one of the most gorgeous venues onboard. In fact, all restaurant entrances are similarly dramatic. The only shortcoming with the internal ship design is the occasional bottleneck such as around the pool deck, where skirting around the chaise lounges is tight for two-way traffic, and at some elevator banks, where the doors are far too close to the stairs behind. One other thing to praise, however, is the expert control of smoking onboard thanks to an enclosed cigar lounge and deck area, also around the pool.

Accommodations

Accommodations are also standouts on the Seven Seas Explorer, from the smallest 219-square-foot Verandah Suite to the incomparable 3,026-square-foot Regent Suite. One of the things the ship is finally doing right by passengers is providing sizable showers in addition to bathtubs. They could still be bigger, but it's a start if tubs must accompany them. Additionally wonderful is the exclusive collection of L’Occitane Mer & Mistral bath amenities. Concierge Suites (pictured below), as we personally experienced, are particularly well configured with ample storage and a bed that conveniently faces the veranda for a scenic view. Even the flat panel television cleverly hinges towards the sleeping area.

Private balconies are some of the biggest I've ever seen at sea, especially those that jut out as mentioned before, but maintaining a consistent depth across all of them would eliminate most of the architectural choppiness. Back inside, more electrical and USB outlets would be nice for charging.

Also, the bedding itself was comfortable enough but not quite as plush as expected. In order to receive the coziest sleep onboard, the Regent Suite sports a $150,000 bed to ensure the sweetest of dreams. Perhaps the single coolest thing about the top-of-the-line guest room is that it is essentially its own full-width observation lounge with an interior alcove (pictured below) and al fresco promenade decks that overlook the front of the ship, easily making it the best of any luxury line accommodations.

Activities

Not only is the living area and master bedroom of the Regent Suite beyond nice, it also features a splendid bathroom complete with its own spa-style loungers (pictured below). For everyone else onboard, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub is a beautiful venue to indulge in treatments and relax in the sauna, steam room and even a refreshing cold room. Behind it is also the ship's publicly accessible infinity pool for a unique perspective over the wake.

Elsewhere, Regent's signature Culinary Arts Kitchen (pictured below) is a fantastic experience to partake in. The food is amazing onboard, and here passengers can learn how to craft similar gourmet courses in a classroom setting complete with expert instruction and individual cooking stations. I'm proud to say even this non-cook was able to prepare a tasty seared scallop course.

Otherwise, the ship is a great place for simple rest and relaxation, especially at the always welcome observation lounge or adjacent chic library. A couple of shops also invite those looking for some retail therapy onboard. Just don't expect waterslides and rock-climbing walls here. The experience is certainly more geared to leisure onboard and exploration ashore thanks to Regent's genuinely all-inclusive program extending to complimentary dining and drinks as well as shore excursions.

Dining

The food onboard the Seven Seas Explorer is some of the best at sea, and the Compass Rose main dining room is unlike any other on a cruise ship. The line now touts it as a specialty restaurant and for good reason: the menu is massive. While most restaurants of its kind would offer maybe a dozen daily choices tops and a handful of always-available alternatives, Compass Rose has probably close to fifty or more items that can be selected and customized as desired.

I personally chose some daily specialties as well as a surf-and-turf entree with chimichurri sauce, a delicious permutation I had never been able to order before.

There is also lots of other specialty dining options but not quite as many as on Regent's corporate cousin Oceania Cruises. You will, surprisingly, not find a dedicated Italian restaurant on the Seven Seas Explorer, for instance, but the Asian restaurant Pacific Rim and French restaurant Chartreuse are winners with courses like Lobster Tempura at the former and Quiche Flamiche (pictured below) at the latter. We did not have time to dine at the Prime 7 steakhouse, but like all the other dining venues onboard, it too was a handsome space with surely great cuisine. Even the La Veranda buffet impressed us with its fresh fare, and the Pool Grill was surprisingly extensive as well.

Entertainment

On a short two-night preview cruise, our exposure to the ship's entertainment lineup was limited, but the highlight was actually coming aboard to great live music from a jazz combo. Ordinarily, it's a string quartet or the like welcoming guests, but the alternative approach was quite delightful. Otherwise, our only taste of the Constellation Theater's production shows was that of "My Revolution." I have to say for a ship of its intimate size, it was surely impressive to see a double-decker show lounge onboard, but the performance did not quite live up to its grandeur.

A narrative attempt is applauded, but the thread of a babyboomer recalling her youth through music from The Beatles to The Kinks was somewhat thin. The dancers were excellent as were a handful of individual singers, particularly the lead female vocalist, but others were lost in weaker ensemble numbers. The male soloist belting "With a Little Help from My Friends" was indeed impressive, however. Better amplification of the music for the theater's size would help along other songs. I would definitely be interested in seeing what else the cast has to offer beyond the one performance for a fuller evaluation.

Service

The service on the Seven Seas Explorer is stellar. Regent appropriately praises its crew for being the heart and soul of the company. The service is simply seamless and effortless. Never did we find ourselves wanting for a refill before our glasses were already topped off in any restaurant, and our waiter in Compass Rose did an admirable job of keeping all of our special orders straight, no small task nor is it I'm sure for the chefs in the galley behind.

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