On embarkation day, we checked into Insignia, dropped our bags in our suite, and called our friends, Andy and Tammy Heath. They were our Cruise Director and Assistant Cruise Director respectively for our 2015 Around the World voyage on Insignia, and live in our home town, so we have become friends on sea and land. They now work on Oceania Insignia’s rich sister ship line, Regent Seven Seas, and happened to be docked in Miami the same day as Insignia. We met them on their ship Explorer, touted as the most luxurious on the seas, for a long-awaited visit and a fabulous private guided tour.
The Regent Seven Seas Explorer was christened on July 3, 2016, and still wafts of “new car smell”. It is shiny, glitzy, but well done, and at a cost of $425,000,000, it is a ship for high-end cruisers who spare no expense. The ship is decorated with contemporary art and sculpture said to be worth $8,000,000, and includes works by Picasso and Chagall. While the Explorer is fairly large with 13 decks, it only has capacity for 750 passengers. All the large, elegant cabins have balconies, including a massive 4,443 square-foot-two-bedroom penthouse Regent Suite that Andy said is always booked, at a mere $10,000 a night. There is an abundance of opulent handmade chandeliers, lavishly decorated lounges, theaters, and restaurants. A grand spiral staircase leads up to the onboard Canyon Ranch Spa, to make a workout of just getting there. Guests will dine on world class cuisine with custom Versace china, or take a class in the stunning onboard state-of-the-art Culinary Center. It is easy to become awestruck amid all the sparkle.
As we were each about to depart, we reminisced fondly about our times at sea together and, heading back to our Insignia home, we were left wishing a bit that Andy and Tammy would be joining our ship….or better yet, we could join them.
If you want to see how this amazing ship was built, watch “Ultimate Cruise Ship,” a NOVA television program about the construction of the ship, aired Feb. 8, 2017.
Yeah, but how is the food?
Have you added another excursion to your bucket list? Wow! What an adventure to cruise with such luxury! I’m sure you will still have a marvelous time sailing on your currently booked ship! Bon Voyage to you two!!