Regent Seven Seas Cruises will celebrate the holiday season in December 2022 and 2023 with voyages ranging between 14 and 67 nights. From the coasts of Australia and New Zealand to destinations across the Americas, the ultra-luxury line is offering a smorgasbord of festive season itineraries.
“Guests will be immersed in the festive spirit from the moment they step on board, with each ship decked out in spectacular seasonal style," says Steve Odell, senior vice president and managing director Asia Pacific, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, who cites magnificent Christmas trees in the atrium, festive flower arrangements, a hand-crafted gingerbread village, and a display for the lighting of the menorah.
Holiday Menus
Guests also will savor the special holiday menus with delectable feasts designed for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Hanukkah by the line's culinary team. Christmas Eve will feature European-style dishes, with an American-themed menu served on Christmas Day.
Seasonal plates will include baked ham with traditional trimmings, roast turkey with chestnut-stuffing, pumpkin pie with cranberries and cinnamon-vanilla sauce and classic English Christmas pudding with vanilla and whiskey sauce.
A specially crafted cranberry "Santa Clausmopolitan" and eggnog will be available in every bar to extend the pre- and post-feast festivities. Seasonal entertainment will range from Christmas and Hanukkah services to festive themed trivia nights and musical performances.
2022-23 Holiday Itinerary Highlights
Seven Seas Explorer will sail voyages around Australia and New Zealand during the 2022 holiday season. Here's a look at some options:
Departing from Singapore on December 12, 2022, Seven Seas Explorer’s 17-night "Coast
On this voyage, guests can choose from up to 28 complimentary shore excursions, including a horseback ride to visit Hindu temples in the mountains of Semarang, Indonesia; watching artisans create vibrant Batik fabrics in Bali; soaring over Thursday Island’s beautiful beaches and coral reefs in a helicopter, or taking a luxury high-speed catamaran cruise to Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays.
In 2023, Seven Seas Explorer will help guests ring in the new year in New Zealand during its 14-night voyage from Sydney to Auckland. This "New Zealand New Year" cruise will depart December 22, 2023. Guests can look forward to a day sailing the scenic fjords of New Zealand and a choice of up to 46 free shore excursions across nine ports of call.
Among those shore excursion choices are: Cheese and chocolate tasting in Burnie, Tasmania; a mud bath or visit to a local Maori village in Rotorua, New Zealand; a yoga and meditation retreat in Christchurch, New Zealand; and an adrenaline-fueled all-terrain tour of the high country of New Zealand’s Southern Alps.
Africa and Beyond
Among holiday exotic offerings to Africa, the Caribbean, Central America and South America are these itineraries.
Across the globe on December 21, 2022, Seven Seas Voyager’s 15-night "Holiday Safari" will depart roundtrip from Cape Town, South Africa. One highlight is the free "Winelands and Wildlife" pre- or post-cruise land program in Cape Town.The cruise will visit Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa.
Guests can choose from up to 20 complimentary shore excursions, including a seal and pelican cruise where dolphins might play beside the boat in Namibia’s famed Walvis Bay Lagoon; a walking tour in Maputo, Mozambique, taking in the sights and sounds of the lively central market; and a game drive at Hluhluwe Game Reserve in South Africa.
Travelers seeking the pinnacle of luxury might check out a new ultra-luxury ship, Seven Seas Grandeur, which joins the Regent Seven Seas Cruises' fleet in 2023. One holiday option is this ship's 16-night "Comfort across the Canal" itinerary from Miami to Los Angeles on December 21, 2023. Destinations along this route include the Cayman Islands, Nicaragua and both Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Cruisers will view turtle sanctuaries, Stingray City and rum distilleries in Georgetown, Grand Cayman, as well as the beaches of Acapulco and have options for tours of the art district, tequila tastings and salsa-making classes in Cabo San Lucas.
Seven Seas Splendor will undertake a 67-night "Circle South America" grand voyage that departs Miami on December 4, 2023. Voyage highlights include Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and beyond. The ship will offer overnight stays in both Panama City, Panama, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
"Circle South America" will offer guests a choice of up to 194 complimentary shore excursions. Among those are opportunities to see monkeys and iguanas at a sanctuary in Honduras; taking a jungle cruise to discover wildlife and wildflowers on a Costa Rican canal; having lunch at the landmark restaurant Malabar in Peru; viewing a tango performance in Argentina; or exploring the beach and historical sites of Barbados.
Those booking the full voyage also will receive a complimentary one-night, pre-cruise dinner and hotel stay, a complimentary exclusive shoreside experience and up to $200 shipboard credit per person.
Guests can experience "Christmas in the Amazon" itinerary during Seven Seas Mariner's 25-night roundtrip sailing from Miami. Departing December 12, 2023, this 25-night adventure will include up to 90 complimentary shore excursions. Among the destinations visited are Guadeloupe, Trinidad & Tobago, Grenada and Brazil.
Guests will spend Christmas Day in Manaus, Brazil, on the Amazon River and can join a riverboat cruise to discover pink dolphins, exotic orchids and caimans. Along the voyage route, guests can see flamingos and the Botanical Gardens of Guadeloupe; explore, snorkel and whale watch in Dominica; and visit Blue Lagoon Island in the Bahamas.
Also in South America, the 21-night "Earth, Fire & Ice" itinerary sails between Callao (Lima), Peru and Buenos Aires aboard Seven Seas Splendor on December 20, 2023. Guests will have a choice of up to 33 complimentary shore excursions. Highlights include views of the UNESCO-listed wall of blue ice in Chile’s Laguna San Rafael; penguin colonies and the world’s southernmost Anglican church in the Falkland Islands; and the marina and beach resort at Punta Del Este, Uruguay.
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This story originally appeared on www.luxurytraveladvisor.com.
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