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n astounding 32 million

people will take cruis-

es this year, reports the

CruiseLinesInternational

Association. To get ready,

megaships are getting

even bigger — and luxury

cruise lines are getting

even more luxurious.

This month, Regent

Seven Seas Cruises launched Seven Seas Splendor

with the Regent Suite, a 4,443-square-foot retreat

featuring a guest bedroom, private dining room,

in-suite spa and custom-made $200,000 bed in the

master bedroom. Regent spokesman Joe Chabus

says it’s the world’s largest luxury cruise ship suite.

Available for an all-inclusive price of $11,000 per

night, based on double occupancy, the Regent

Suite is almost fully booked for the year ahead.

Frequent cruiser Sandy Wells of Huntsville,

Alabama, and her husband, Dana, did not book it,

but they were aboard Seven Seas Splendor’s maid-

en trip, from Barcelona to Miami. “Since 2005, I’ve

taken 21 cruises on Regent,” Sandy says, “but I had

never been on an inaugural voyage before. Now I

want to see everything when it’s fresh and new.”

While luxury cruise lines that generally carry

fewer than 1,000 passengers are making their

cabins even more elegant, the newest megaships

transport over 5,000 passengers and entertain

them with water parks, laser tag, virtual reality

centers and ice skating rinks. Regent’s Seven Seas

Splendor and its sister ship, Seven Seas Explorer,

have capacity for 750 guests; two others in Regent’s

five-ship fleet can carry 700 guests, and Seven

Seas Navigator has a capacity for 475 passengers.

Highlights on Seven Seas Splendor include 375 el-

egantly designed suites with large private balco-

nies, over an acre of imported Italian marble, 500

crystal chandeliers, five high-end restaurants and

four theater productions.

Like many dedicated cruisers, Sandy is loyal

to a single line. “We tend to book cruises as soon

as Regent makes them available, sometimes two

years in advance,” she says. The line is rolling out

its new and exclusive Serene Spa & Wellness cen-

ter on all its ships.

“You can walk from a warm room, like a sauna,

into a cold room,” Sandy says, “which is good for

the immune system. There’s also a huge shower

area and an aromatherapy room. What I really

love, though, is the way Regent carries wellness

into its dining rooms.”

In addition to the gourmet and regionally-in-

spired meals offered in its restaurants, guests can

order special plant-based menu items. “My favor-

ite breakfast is the chickpea pancake,” she notes.

The healthy focus even follows passengers off

the ship, via Wellness Tours that include soaking

in a thermal spring in Rome or tai chi classes on a

beach in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

New excursions available only to Seven Seas

Splendor passengers in her inaugural year in-

clude a helicopter ride to a renowned restaurant

in Monaco, an electric-bike tour through vine-

yards in Provence and a mussel-tasting tour in

Montenegro in a speedboat.

Cruisers in general are looking for more activity,

says Colleen McDaniel, editor-in-chief ofCruise

Critic, the industry’s largest consumer website.

“Passengers today don’t want to just take a bus

tour through the heart of a port city. They’d rather

explore on foot. Bike tours are increasingly popu-

lar and one luxury expedition line just added two

helicopters and a submarine for guest explora-

tions,” she says.

“One time we hiked to a penguin rookery in

Puerto Montt in southern Chile,” Sandy recalls.

“When the nature guide led the rest of our group to

another area, Dana and I just squatted down and

stayed still. A little penguin waddled up to me and

gently pecked my knee. Before long, we were sur-

rounded by a dozen penguins. You can’t have that

experience if you’re with hundreds of other tourists.”

But the main distinction from mainstream

cruising is that the cost of over 1,000 excursions

is part of Regent’s all-inclusive fares. Seven Seas

Splendor’s inclusive pricing also covers guests’

business class airfare to and from international

departure ports, ground transfers and a hotel stay

before departure, plus all onboard gratuities, in-

ternet access, meals and beverages. Passengers

who opt for the Regent Suite even have a compli-

mentary car and driver meeting them at each port.

Mainstream cruises with their pay-as-you-go

format for excursions, beverages, meals at pre-

mium restaurants, tips and even admission to

some onboard entertainment venues can get very

expensive. “Passengers won’t have any surprises

with a fully inclusive package,” says Gwen Books, a

lifestyle management and luxury travel consultant

based in Menlo Park, California.

If seasoned luxury cruisers have already seen

most port city highlights, Books arranges more

exclusive experiences. “For clients who wanted

to dine at a fish restaurant on a craggy cliff island

near Majorca, Spain, we rented a power boat and

whisked them there for lunch,” she says.

“One of my favorite places is beside the infinity

pool facing the stern,” Sandy says. “It makes a per-

fect hideaway to read a book and sip champagne

while the others are off on excursions.”

Julie Bennett is a freelance writer specializing in

franchising, small business and lifestyle issues.

Cruise in Even Greater Style

Acres of marble, crystal and fun for luxury vacationers and families

A

by Julie Bennett

Start with a travel agent,

advises Elaine Warren, author

ofTheFamilyCruiseCompanion’s

Guide to Cruising with Kids,and

askaboutcruiselinesthatoffer

programssuitedtotheagesof

yourkids.“Sometimesthateye-

catching excursion or onboard

amenitymayhaveageorheight

restrictions,”shewarns.Bestto

introduce young children with

a short cruise to someplace

nearby, like the Caribbean,

sheadds.

POPULAR

DESTINATIONS

FOR 2020

FavoriteportsforEuropean

rivercruisesthisyearare

ViennaandAvignon,McDaniel

reports.“AndNorwayhasalso

seenaresurgence.”Luxury

travelexpertGwenBooks

notesanincreaseintripsto

JapanandFrenchPolynesiaas

well.AndRegentspokesman

JoeChabussaystopluxury

tourdestinationsincludethe

Mediterranean,Northern

EuropeandAlaska.

Returnfromyourcruisewitha

tan—andrecipesforSantorini

tomatofritters,Frenchcrepes

orJamaicanjerkchicken.

GuestsonRegent’sSevenSeas

Splendorcantakeclassesin

theship’sCulinaryArtsKitchen,

featuringhands-oncooking

demonstrationsoffoodsfrom

theportstheyvisit.Checkthe

CruiseCriticwebsiteformore

onboardcookinglessonsand

foodietours,someledby

celebritychefs.

The Future of Cruising

(Above) Unwind

in the “Winter

Garden” of the

$11,000- a-night

Regent Suite on

the Seven Seas

Splendor.

(Left) Just you

and the sun on

your private

deck adjoining

the master bath.

LEARN TO

COOK LIKE

APRO

The Wall Street Journal news organization was not involved in the creation of this content.

CRUISING

WITH

CHILDREN

Tobypasscrowds,book

yourshoreexcursions

independently,suggestsCruise

Criticeditor-in-chiefColleen

McDaniel.Cruisingguidebooks

andportwebsiteshavelists

ofvendorsthatservicesmall

groups.“Lookforsomething

thecruiselinedoesnotoffer,”

shesays,“andwatchthetime.

Onlysanctionedexcursions

guaranteeyou’llgetbackto

theshipbeforeitdeparts.”

ESCAPING

THE

CROWDS

MAKE IT BOUTIQUE Insidercruisetipsforsolitudeseekers,trendsetters,parentsandfoodies

PHOTOS COURTESY REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES