On board the best ship in ‘the world’s most luxurious fleet’

It’s night four of a 12-night cruise aboard Seven Seas Grandeur when, at precisely 6pm, a bell rings out across the ship’s PA system signalling the beginning of the “block party”, a Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ tradition. Guests in varying states of dress, from bathrobes to cocktail wear, spill out of their suites and into the hallways where cheery room attendants serve drinks and canapes.

The captain and cruise director are making their way deck by deck, corridor by corridor, shaking hands with passengers as they go, attempting to break the captain’s own record of 24-odd minutes to cover the entire vessel.

Our hallway on deck six is the final stop. While we wait, a bubbly woman with a broad New Jersey accent makes friends with everyone and, when the captain arrives, hugs him like a long-lost brother. With familiarity like that, it’s no wonder the record is not broken tonight.

New Jersey tells me she and her husband have accumulated some 350 nights onboard various Regent ships. I’ll later encounter others who have clocked up hundreds as well. Repeat customers are so plentiful, in fact, it seems newbies such as me are very much in the minority. “How many Regent cruises have you done?” becomes such a common conversation starter this feels less like a cruise cohort and more like a well-heeled cult.

From the get-go, I can easily see why the cruise line inspires such fervent devotion. When I first sight the 744-passenger Seven Seas Grandeur awaiting us at Civitavecchia (Rome), her gracious, classical all-white exterior gleaming in the sun impresses mightily.

Firstly, Grandeur is widely regarded as the pinnacle of ultra-luxurious cruising. Regent Seven Seas calls her six-star and the best ship in a fleet they dub The World’s Most Luxurious.

When I first sight the 780-passenger Seven Seas Grandeur awaiting us at Civitavecchia, her gracious, classical all-white exterior gleaming in the sun impresses me mightily and I have no reason to doubt any of this.

Then I get to my Concierge Suite, where after long-haul travel, the discovery of a deep, full-length tub in the marble-clad bathroom almost makes me cry with joy. It’s accompanied by a full-sized shower and double vanity supplied with L’Occitane toiletries.

There’s also a walk-in closet, which is handy, because I’ve packed like I’m European royalty in response to a stated dress code of “elegant casual” with higher sartorial requirements in the evening. Still, my suite has hanging space, drawers and shelves enough for four times what I’ve brought with me.

As sartorially prepared as I am, I am also one of those “very happy with my own company” types, so while revelling in discovering the myriad features of what will be my digs for nearly two weeks, an invitation on the bed from hostess Carlotta to join the “solo travellers’ social” that first evening gives me pause.

In the spirit of good cruising etiquette, however, I attend, and I’m pleasantly surprised, becoming a regular at the nightly get-togethers. We’re a group of 10 or so women and just one man, John from the north of England, who’s on his 81st cruise – not all on Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Like many older guests, he doesn’t get off the ship and tells me the things he loves most about being on Regent are not having to cook, clean or do his own washing. Laundry is – blissfully for John, and me for that matter – included.

Out of the mostly American and English passenger list (with a smattering of Australians, New Zealanders and other nationalities) there are plenty of livelier guests who take in the shows, prop up the late-night bars, make friends and memories.

In that, it’s a horses for courses kind of cruise, catering for the quiet to the extrovert, the night owl to the early riser. I am the latter – and find my tribe at the buffet breakfast eaten outside at La Veranda as we take in our destinations in the morning light.

Perhaps the only type it doesn’t fully cater for is the kid. Regent Seven Seas welcomes them, but there are no dedicated children’s programs or facilities other than on select sailings. There are certainly no waterslides or other rides. It’s a classic, adult kind of ship. On this cruise, I quickly notice there are none younger than mid-teens and then only a few of those, some of them travelling with grandparents.

One granddad tells me that while Regent is undeniably expensive, he did the maths, and figured it to be value for money for his holiday, because of its all-inclusive model. Premium spirits and cocktails, free-flowing wines, speciality dining and quality shore excursions are all included, as well as the aforementioned laundry. Extra costs come in the form of special wines, spa treatments, sessions in the cooking school, liquor tastings and premium excursions. But for those who want to splash the extra cash, the boutique is full of Fendi, Hermes and Gucci.

On this sailing, it’s also selling jewellery in line with the itinerary’s theme: “spotlight on Faberge”. Sarah Faberge is onboard. She’s the godmother of Seven Seas Grandeur and the steward of the modern-day incarnation of the eponymous jewellery house, her ancestors having founded it in pre-revolution Russia. She features in a series of talks, together with other Faberge experts including Dorothy McFerrin, owner of one of the world’s greatest private collections.

The synergy is a bespoke-to-Grandeur Faberge egg on display in the ship’s main reception area, a frothy confection made as an ode to the oceans, with fine blue lacquering and ripples of diamonds and pearls set to resemble waves. It’s worth more than $US1 million ($1.4 million).

(Soon, the whole Faberge thing has me a bit obsessed. I start using the ship’s Wi-Fi to trawl eBay and Facebook Marketplace for hidden Russian treasure. You never know your luck, after all.) Grandeur’s own Faberge egg may be a special piece, but it is far from out of place. This ship is pimped.

Nearly 140,000 kilograms of marble, along with shining chrome, gleaming glass, upholstery and drapery befitting the most upmarket residence and 503 stunning crystal chandeliers feature in a contemporary decor scheme that manages to be both homely and awe-inspiring.

A multimillion-dollar art collection comprising 1600 pieces, including three Picassos, helps. Sculptures surprise at every turn, including a life-sized glass cherry blossom tree in the entrance to speciality dining restaurant Pacific Rim.

The Picassos hang in another – the New York-style steakhouse Prime 7 – underlining the meticulous attention to detail that has gone into creating restaurants that play into high-end big-city establishments more than a shipboard fantasy of what such an eatery might be. Even the French restaurant, Chartreuse, resists twee as it achieves exquisiteness.

The main restaurant, Compass Rose, is perhaps the most theatrical, with an art nouveau-style scheme of organic forms that cleverly divide the cavernous space into zones while providing glamour. That’s complemented by ocean-themed Versace crockery and luxury glassware.

I eat most nights at Compass Rose with the social solos – and note how many of my friends order the Dover sole. It looks plain and boring to me. Then someone mentions it’s fancy – I Google it and discover it’s been called “the poshest fish in the world”.

I figure I’m on the poshest ship in the world, I may as well try it. It is delicious – as are desserts. The latter are thankfully reasonably portioned because I do not hold back.

With that in mind, my strategy for picking shore excursions should be finding those most likely to invite the highest step count. But the main motivator behind my choices is actually to find the least touristy.

It means I join buses with like-minded travellers who favour curiosity over checklist tourism. Serendipitously, it also often means high step counts. In Barcelona, we walk for a solid three hours exploring Montjuic with its green parklands, quiet monuments and expansive views over the city.

Out of Livorno, I head to the Ligurian village of Lerici, famous for being the place where Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was living before he drowned, and where his mate, Lord Byron, legendarily swam the 7.5 kilometres across from Portovenere for a visit.

It’s not exactly off the beaten track, but it’s not the main game on the Ligurian coast either, and the feeling there is relaxed, real and casually welcoming.

We jump in rubber runabouts and cruise the Bay of Poets, admiring fortifications, old marble quarries and a waterbound statue of the Virgin Mary revered by fishermen.

The Cinque Terre is nearby. Other excursions from our ship have gone there. Before our guide drops us off in stunning, gelati-coloured Portovenere for free-time wandering, he says, “I go to the Cinque Terre, I get bored. But every time I come here, it is like coming for the first time.”

Those of us from the ship, his guests, congratulate ourselves on our choice.

In Monte Carlo, while other ships lay at anchor away from port, we dock in front of the casino. This is entertainment enough: preparations for the F1 Grand Prix are in their final stages, an armada of superyachts are our direct neighbours, and the buzz of the tiny city’s waterfront is palpable.

My excursion takes me out of town to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in France, where I roam the pink palace and nine themed gardens of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, a romantic interlude in the belle epoque.

Further gorgeous days in A Coruna, Spain, Honfleur, France and the English countryside from Southampton, plus sea days spent doing trivia, playing board and card games, lying by the pool, enjoying the spa’s wet areas and taking in shows and talks, make life onboard Grandeur a lovely slice of la dolce vita.

For me, this is the perfect way to cruise the Mediterranean and North Atlantic, in step with the things I love about the Continent: its vintage glamour, cultivated ease and enduring sense of style.

In fact, I could easily clock up hundreds of days on Regent Seven Seas myself. I just need to find a forgotten Faberge to fund them.

THE DETAILS

CRUISE
Regent Seven Seas Cruises will carry out a number of European sailings in 2027 (and still some in 2026). One is on board Seven Seas Grandeur: “A Grecian Summer Venice (Fusina) to Barcelona”, an 11-night journey departing June 2, 2027. From $12,910 a person. Additional inclusions to those mentioned are specialty coffees, customised in-suite mini bar, pre-paid gratuities, Wi-Fi and 24-hour in-suite dining.

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The writer travelled as a guest of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.