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Travel: Cruise ship believed to be the world’s most expensive coming to Southern California

April 5, 2023

When the supposed most expensive luxury cruise ship ever built sails into Los Angeles Harbor early next year, she will have onboard a prized art collection with the first Fabergé egg permanently on display at sea along with something else that California probably hasn’t seen — or sniffed — in the 31-year history of Regent Seven Seas: a vessel barely out of the shipyard.

That rare new-ship smell awaits cruisers boarding the Seven Seas Grandeur on Jan. 8 from San Pedro’s World Cruise Center. When the future fleet flagship welcomes her first embarking passengers out of L.A., the $545-million vessel will have only completed four itineraries. For the fifth, this one starting in the shadow of a just-turned 60-year-old Vincent Thomas Bridge, Grandeur will go back to Miami the same way she came: a 16-night sail through the Panama Canal.

The Italian-built, 746-passenger ship is a sister to Seven Seas Splendor, which debuted in 2020, and the 2016-christened Seven Seas Explorer. And what a lovely lineage it is. Both of Grandeur’s older siblings are beauties as Alaska-bound passengers will attest on Explorer this summer while Splendor, current flagship of the ultra-luxury fleet (www.rssc.com), spends the next two seasons in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.

Seven Seas Splendor, docked in Cozumel, is a sister ship of Grandeur, debuting in L.A. this winter. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Before crossing the Atlantic a few days ago, Splendor’s seven-night “Heritage of the Maya” roundtrip sailing out of Miami served as a sneak peek for guests who are booked on Regent Seven Seas’ next big thing sight unseen. Actually, the nearly completed Grandeur is the fleet’s next mid-sized thing. Like most luxury-category vessels, the Explorer-class triplets — each measuring 55,000 gross tons — aren’t that large. By comparison, Norwegian Prima, the flagship of Norwegian Cruise Line, a sister subsidiary to Regent Seven Seas, has a gross tonnage of over 143,000. But while their internal volume is modest contrasted with those floating cities called megaships, Splendor, Explorer and Grandeur are big in terms of space ratio, a measure of how much real estate there is per passenger, and small in regard to staff-to-guest ratio, a good indicator of personalized service.

Splendor’s 1:1.5 ratio on the recent near-capacity cruise out of Miami was evident from bow to stern. Near-impeccable attention was prevalent from the ship’s six restaurants and well-serviced bars, lounges and main theater to the surprisingly spacious spa, casino and boutiques. Even the entertainment team, usually a cliquey bunch of professional singers and dancers, genuinely cared that guests had a grand time while hosting myriad shipboard activities, many worth points redeemable for sweet swag.

Afternoon tea aboard the Seven Seas Splendor. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Hospitality at a loftier level is provided to the more privileged Regent Seven Seas guests. Whereas butler service is an automatic amenity on Silversea, a direct competitor, only those in premium suites come with a genie in tails who can book your spa appointments, make dinner reservations and basically take care of all of your needs during your voyage. Having encountered a number of logistical and communications-related headaches over the seven days on Splendor, this coddling-allergic cruiser gained a better appreciation of his previous sail on Silversea.

Splendor’s atrium is stately, but Grandeur’s will boast the first Fabergé egg permanently displayed at sea. (Photo by David Dickstein)

It’s not that one ultra-luxury cruise line is better than the other; it’s just a matter of taste, as California-based travel planner Kelly Baker agrees.

“You can compare Silversea and Regent Seven Seas as apples to apples, but it’s more like Fuji to Granny Smith,” said Baker of Ships and Trips Travel. “They are both comparable ultra-luxury cruise lines that will satisfy your cravings. However, it all depends on your tastebuds with regard to finery.”

The two-deck Constellation Theater on Seven Seas Splendor. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Silversea gets the nod over Regent Seven Seas in several key categories — sheer elegance and food quality, in particular — but when it comes to entertainment and onboard activities in general, Regent gets a standing ovation. The shows presented in the two-deck Constellation Theater are not only some of the most elaborate in the luxury cruising category, but they rival those staged on megaships. The eclectic, contemporary and, yes, even sensual “Bohemian Soul” is the standout among the five — five! — full productions satisfying showgoers on seven-night sails.

Another tip of the hat in Regent Seven Seas’ direction is the vacation-y vibe. No offense to cruisers who prefer tuxedos over Tommy Bahama or formal gowns over country club chic, but in 2023, many seafaring holidaymakers don’t really want to dress to the nines. “Elegant casual” is as strict as Regent Seven Seas gets, and Seabourn, also responding to a trend, matched this more flexible nightly dress standard at the beginning of the year. Silversea seems to be holding firm, though a poll of Silver Moon passengers wearing tuxes on a recent formal night indicated an overwhelming desire to jettison the penguin suit.

Prime 7 is Regent Seven Seas’ signature steakhouse. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Curbing the stereotypical snootiness of luxury cruising does make Regent Seven Seas seem like a premium-class line at times, if not even mainstream. Except for the caviar station and reduced traffic, the indoor and poolside breakfast buffets on Splendor are no better or worse than what’s found on Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean ships. L’Occitane toiletries and a curtain separating the living and sleeping areas are nice touches for a basic suite, but the differences between these staterooms and those of a similar category on less-expensive Oceania, Holland America and Windstar are minuscule.

Pacific Rim, Splendor’s specialty Asian restaurant, features a dramatic entrance. (Photo by David Dickstein)

Little coming out of the galleys oozed wow factor, but lips were smacked over the filet mignon and lamb chops at Prime 7 steakhouse and the Compass Rose main dining room, cioppino at Sette Mari at La Veranda, popcorn lobster at Asian-influenced Pacific Rim and the Dover sole at French-accented Chartreuse.

Some of the best cooking on Splendor that week was done by passengers at the Culinary Arts Kitchen. The loosely themed “New World Mediterranean” cooking class had 18 amateur chefs preparing roasted ratatouille, zucchini fritters and chocolate lava cakes. Offered on Splendor, Explorer and, soon, Grandeur, these classes are expertly designed to expand guests’ culinary skills through highly individualized, hands-on instruction. Each weeklong cruise tends to offer three different classes and costs $89 per person. Generous pours of well-paired wines and cocktails add to the fun of tasting the fruits (and other ingredients) of one’s labor.

Culinary Arts Kitchen chef instructor Noelle Barille shows off the class’s bounty. (Photo by David Dickstein)

The fully equipped classroom looks like it belongs at the Culinary Institute of America. It’s gorgeous and functional. Then again, so is the entire ship. More than 46,000 square feet of polished Italian marble, dramatic crystal chandeliers, rich upholstery and some of the finest pieces of the cruise line’s multi-million-dollar, museum-quality art collection make Splendor one ritzy, yet unpretentious resort at sea.

On the subject of art, it seems that Regent Seven Seas is putting all its Fabergé eggs in one floating basket. Playing favorites among its children, the cruise line is giving the collection’s pièce de resistance to the youngest triplet. The handcrafted objet d’art, named “Journey in Jewels,” will be on permanent display in Grandeur’s atrium, which we predict will be renamed as the “Egg-trium.”

Unlimited viewing of this first-of-its-kind piece from the swanky jewelry house will be included in the fare, as is pretty much everything else on a Regent Seven Seas cruise. A single price covers airfare, transfers, shore excursions, dining, bottomless wines and spirits, valet laundry service, unlimited Wi-Fi and gratuities.

West Coasters who want to experience Regent Seven Seas before January will have to venture elsewhere. Those set on sailing on Grandeur earlier than her California debut can hitch a ride on the inaugural cruise that embarks on Nov. 18 from Trieste, Italy — a mere 121 nautical miles from her birthplace across the Adriatic Sea. This seven-night sail disembarks in Barcelona. After paying a visit to the land of tapas, cava and Gaudi, Grandeur will make that voyage to Miami with sights set on Southern California.

Upon Grandeur’s Jan. 6 arrival, she will become the youngest in Regent Seven Seas’ fleet to dock on the West Coast. Grandeur’s local visit may be fleeting with just a single itinerary out of California, but here’s some good news if you miss the boat: Grandeur returns to San Pedro the following winter for two exciting voyages. The first, leaving Dec. 29, 2024, is a 10-night Mexican Riviera cruise that makes calls in rarely visited Manzanillo and La Paz. That’s followed by a 16-night voyage to Miami through the Panama Canal, and it just so happens to begin on the one-year anniversary of Grandeur’s first cruise from the Pacific. Talk about grandeur.

Orange County Register

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Travel: Cruise ship believed to be the world’s most expensive coming to Southern California

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