Some people choose a cruise for its destination, others by the size of the ship or the level of cuisine, while yet others make their selection based on the ports of call. When the opportunity arose recently to join a 16-night Sojourn to Oz cruise on Seven Seas Explorer from Bali to Sydney, I didn’t hesitate, recalling an earlier experience some years ago onboard a sister ship, Seven Seas Voyager, through the Baltic Sea from Copenhagen to Stockholm. It was such a memorable cruise for my husband and me, the experience sat ‘up there’ for years as one of our very best travel adventures.
So, while I, personally, wouldn’t perhaps travel half-way around the world to visit my home ports of Darwin, Cairns, Airlie Beach and Brisbane, I would certainly travel half-way around the world to enjoy a cruise on one of Regent’s all-inclusive luxury fleet of six again, the Seven Seas Explorer being dubbed ‘the most luxurious ship at sea’. With a crew of 542, it has one of the highest guest-to-staff ratios at sea.
Our stateroom, 637, is mid-ship – literally – being vertically in the middle of the 14 decks and also in the middle of its 224-metre length. “The safest rooms in the house,” according to Captain Lukša Kristović, when I ask him about potential turbulent weather at sea.
Deck 6 is such the preferred cruise level, he tells me, that the lucky passengers in the prestigious Regent Suite on Deck 14 have a ‘back-up’ suite on that level in case the swells get too great, plus when the captain’s wife travels with him, she also has a ‘back-up’ suite on Deck 6.
Our marble bathroom is well-lit with shower recess and L’Occitane amenities; a walk-in mirrored dressing room has ample hanging space and drawer storage. A good-sized double or twin bedroom leads to a curtained-off well- equipped lounge with desk, mini-bar, more storage and sliding glass doors leading to a furnished balcony. Our ever-smiling stewards, Jehzabel and Dianne happily service our suite twice daily.
Fresh floral arrangements are a feature on Seven Seas Explorer, while public spaces are elegant, understated and shine with just the right amount of bling.
Fun at the front, Food at the back
It takes a few days to orientate oneself onboard, but Cruise Director David Nevin helps with this saying: “Remember, it’s fun in the front (the theatre and main Observation Lounge bar) and food (restaurants) at the back!”
Days at sea are my favourite as you can sleep in, order in-room breakfast if you like, listen to guest speakers in the morning, enjoy lunch at your choice of restaurants, relax poolside with a book on a sunlounger, have a siesta before perhaps joining a group for fun trivia, then spruce up for pre-dinner cocktails at one of the five bars, enjoy dinner – and then take in nightly entertainment in the Constellation Theater. How fabulous that all beverages are included … even our nightly cocktails. Tiramisu martini, anyone?
Some 32 offshore excursions are also included, so if you book then change your mind, you simply advise reservations the night before – no stress. Generous inclusions also cover on-board gratuities.
Komodo National Park is a World Heritage Site and our visit there is highly anticipated. We go by tender and are met by eager islanders selling carved wooden dragons and pretty shell bowls. Komodo dragons – the largest lizards in the world – live on the wild deer and pigs that inhabit the island. We’re told that one bite will poison their prey who then stagger off and die, the dragons tracking them down when they’re hungry. We walk single file under a canopy of thick trees and come across a large male lizard walking with a confident swagger, its forked tongue whipping in and out to sense the air. Our guides arm themselves only with forked sticks to protect themselves – and us. They seem to work.
In Darwin, we take a tour to learn of Darwin’s historical past – think the World War II bombing of Darwin, Cyclone Tracey – and visit the outstanding Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, while others keenly join Jumping Crocodile Cruises.
While in Cairns many choose a Great Barrier Reef Adventure, or a panoramic ride on the Skyrail. I check out the excellent family-owned and run Rainforestation Nature Park with Aboriginal displays of dancing, didgeridoo playing, woomera and boomerang throwing.
When there are successive days at sea, the focus shifts from shore excursions to nightly entertainment – with a fine program of solo artists as well the ship’s own production company, and dining at perhaps the more prestigious restaurants onboard – for which there is no extra charge.
Don’t worry if you haven’t made dinner reservations at the more upmarket restaurants onboard before boarding. Having late registration on the ship, we have nothing booked when we board so make a beeline to Reservations to correct this. On the first day, we lunch in Prime 7, Regent’s top-ranking steakhouse where the signature dish is a ‘surf and turf’ of fillet steak topped with a succulent crayfish tail. Another time, we dine on Wagyu beef topped with crocodile.
One night, we thought we’d go to the popular Italian restaurant Sette Mari with its open-seating and ‘no bookings needed’ concept. But it seems we have left it too late and are told there is a 45-to-60-minute wait time. Unperturbed, we check out the highly regarded Pacific Rim to see if they might be able to accommodate us. We have a superb experience dining on innovative Asian fusion where the star of the show is miso black cod – originally made famous by Nobu. Other must-try dishes include Chicken and Coie Gras Gyoza, Crispy Soft Shell Crab Tempura and fall-off-the-bone Chinese Barbecue Pork Ribs. Chartreuse is the ship’s highly regarded French restaurant. Recommended dishes include the beetroot salad, the mushroom velouté soup, cheese soufflé, Barbary duck breast and Dover sole.
But poolside is the place to be for lunch – irrespective of the weather. Attentive waitstaff see that no-one is wanting for anything. Drinks are dispensed from a bar at one end, while buffet lunches are served at the other end. There’s something about hamburgers eaten poolside via the Pool Grill, and a good selection is offered – including truffle beef burger, applewood bacon beef burger, South-East Asian turkey burger, ahi tuna burger, veggie burger and, of course, the classic hamburger or cheeseburger. Freshly made pizzas are always a hit as well as Reuben sandwiches, wraps and hot dogs. Lobster nachos, anyone?
An art lover’s paradise
You can’t wander too far on Seven Seas Explorer without noticing the vast number of artworks. Some paintings appropriately depicting bulls adorn the walls of the ship’s excellent steakhouse, Prime 7. Prize works in the restaurant’s foyer are ‘The Bull’ by Picasso and ‘Clown with a Yellow Goat’ by Marc Chagall. There are also a few ceramics by Picasso, again depicting bulls. The Regent Suite on Deck 14 boasts two more works by Picasso in its foyer. Art aficionados can take an Art Walk around the ship armed with a catalogue obtained from the Concierge.
So, for me, it is all about the ship, the staff, the facilities, the small ship feel and the qualities that embrace the company’s slogan of being ‘unrivalled at sea’. With their all-suite, all-balcony and all-inclusive rates, Regent’s ships are, indeed, a class act – wherever they sail.
Imagine Dragons
Komodo National Park contains the majority of the world’s areas in which wild populations of the komodo dragon still exist. The largest and heaviest of the world’s lizards, komodo dragons are widely known for their huge size and fearsome appearance, their capacity to prey on large animals, and their ability to tolerate extremely harsh conditions. The population is estimated to be at around 5,700. They’re found across the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Gili Motang and some coastal regions of western and northern Flores in Indonesia.
