The Seven Seas Grandeur sails the Atlantic. It does so at 18 knots heading for Miami. It has passed through Funchal, Madeira, and after making a stop in Bermuda, it will complete its first transatlantic voyage and the second cruise in its history in Miami, the world's main cruise port. With its first visit to Florida, it will complete a journey that has united the two main cruise piers of America and Europe: Miami and Barcelona, from where it departed last Saturday.
The New Barcelona Post was able to visit Regent's new ship on its first stop in the Catalan port, where nearly 500 people embarked, the vast majority Americans, very excited to enjoy what the shipping company defines as the best ship in its fleet, the result of 30 years of experience and the pursuit of perfection, as Leandro Satústegui, the new commercial manager for that firm for the Spanish market, told us.
Hotel Origins
Regent Cruises was born in the early 90s as Radisson Seven Seas Cruises after the merger of two small shipping companies whose management ended up in the hands of the Carlson company. This company is and was the owner, among others, of Radisson hotels and the TGI Fridays restaurant chain. The shipping company kept its original name until 2006, when it adopted the current one and began a process of exclusive specialization in the maritime sector, a change of hands that culminated when it became integrated into the Norwegian Cruise Line holding company. This holding includes three shipping companies: NCL, Oceania, and Regent itself, as the luxury division of the maritime group.
And offering that great luxury or superluxe, as some tourism ship operators now self-define their service, is the company's commitment for its six vessels. Ships whose names begin with this Seven Seas inherited from its early years.
The Seven Seas Grandeur carries a multimillion-dollar collection totaling 1,600 pieces, mostly contemporary artAnd how is superluxe argued on a ship like the Grandeur? "Firstly, in the crew-to-passenger ratio. It is the ratio that best defines a luxury cruise line: the closer to one crew member per passenger, the better the service offered on board always is", indicates Juan Rodero, CEO of Un Mundo de Cruceros and StarClass, the main representative of luxury companies in Spain, who was also on board the ship during its first visit to Barcelona. "In this case, the proportion of space available per guest in common areas or the types ofsuitealso available make the difference between these and the shipping companies in this range that compete with Regent," he concluded.
The ship, 224 meters long, carries a maximum of only 746 guests, attended by an almost equivalent crew: 548 professionals. Except for those directly in charge of navigation or technical aspects, most work in direct guest service. As accommodation, guests have fifteen different types of suites available, ranging from 29 to 412 square meters.
Suite at 11,000 euros per night
This data is not wrong: the shipping company's most modern vessel, launched this very November in the Fincantieri shipyards in Ancona, has an enormous suite that exceeds 400 square meters. To demonstrate the exceptionality of such a place, this space is in the bow, above the bridge and with a 270º view of the place where it is sailing or making a stopover. Among other details, its master bedroom has a $200,000 Hästen Vividus mattress, a private spa within the suite itself with a personal sauna, steam bath and treatment area, and a 120 square meter balcony with a jacuzzi.
It also has a living room with a glassed-in solarium with two divans from which to observe the navigation. As complements to the sea voyage, those staying in this Regent Suite always have first-class flights included, all the spa treatments they desire, and a personal butler to manage all the details on board and on land. There, a chauffeur and an individual guide are also guaranteed for each port where the ship makes a stopover. A luxury that is priced: 11,000 euros per night of travel.
…and the rest of the travelers
The impressive data and figures of the suite do not detract from the rest of the ship's facilities or services, suites, restaurants, spa and other services that the ship has for all travelers or guests. An example: rather than as a gastronomic offer, Regent likes to define its way of enjoying meals and drinks on board as a culinary program. This is called Epicurean Perfection, which is applied in the eight different areas of the ship prepared for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In some, this can be done practically at any time of day or night. To highlight the five complimentary specialty restaurants, always included in the ticket price, for which 130 new dishes have been created exclusively for this ship.
In addition to a very high level in the wine and champagne cellar (very unique vintages or truly exceptional sparkling wines are the only thing that would not be included) and bars with a very high level of execution, one of the shipping company's prides is the water, treatment and relaxation area. In this case, it also has its own name: it is called the Serene Spa & Wellness experience. For this new ship, new and exclusive spa treatments have been created, with a menu that applies the best luxury techniques and ingredients from around the world. Translated from the generic, its treatments include aspects such as the use of the restorative power of an amber and quartz crystal bed or an advanced treatment table for a Zero Gravity wellness massage.
Art on board
As if the above were not enough, art is one of the aspects that has been most worked on: the Seven Seas Grandeur carries a multimillion-dollar collection totaling 1,600 pieces, mostly contemporary art. Choosing, gathering and assembling them in the different spaces on board has taken almost two years of work for the entire specialized team, which has visited galleries on several continents and contacted artists and designers directly to buy or commission new works.
These can be enjoyed with the naked eye in the suites, restaurant entrances, common areas, lounges, halls or access zones. Encountering them without further ado is a frequent occurrence that leaves greater or lesser sensations, although in this case, a step forward has been taken in the interaction between the collection and the observer, as the cruise line wanted to create an artistic tour of the ship, the Art Experience, available through Regent's mobile application.
The most outstanding work in the collection exhibited on board is possibly the most exclusive: a Fabergé eggAfter testing it for weeks, this novelty debuts in December aboard the Grandeur, as the first ship in the fleet where it can be enjoyed.It is an immersive and interactive experience for travelers to connect, not only with the work of art, but also with the artist or artiststhat created the piece you are observing. The intention is to follow a route or do it in bits to have an analysis and more information about the works exhibited in the main spaces.
Among the pieces, for example, the large cherry bonsai created by Savoy Studios for this ship stands out. Crafted in bronze and artisanally cast glass, it is a jewel that presides over and provides an entire experience for those who access the Pacific Rim, the pan-Asian restaurant of the Grandeur.
Another work to highlight and that is practically impossible to stop looking at is by the Brazilian Walter Goldfarb. It is called The Enchanted Tree and is a 12-meter high tapestry that presides over a very high atrium. The glass elevators that pass in front of it or the terraces of the different decks that overlook this multi-height hall allow for different perspectives on Goldfarb's work.
Pablo Picasso also travels. He does so with three lithographs exhibited in the Prime 7 restaurant, a classic grill with 100% American taste, which is the main nationality of the shipping company's travelers. The works are called Bulls and Bullfighters, Before picador spears the bull and Picador spearing the bull, with matador at ease and, for an international audience, aims to show the beauty of bullfighters' costumes and their movements along with the power of bulls as Spanish heritage.
Finally, the most outstanding work in the collection exhibited on board is possibly the most exclusive: a Fabergé egg designed specifically for the ship where it will be permanently displayed. This novelty of such a valuable permanently traveling piece has an explanation that will be perfectly understood in Miami.
The Grandeur will return to the Catalan capital this spring with a New York-Barcelona trip arriving on April 24In addition to being able to scan a code next to each selected main piece and receive information typical of museum audio guides, here it goes deeper:connects with the artist in question, the creative process and the inspiration for the particular piece, thanks to small films prepared expressly for the ship.
Thus, the same application that Regent travelers use to find out about the daily program on board, see shore excursions or the gastronomic offer, now has an interesting novelty: to get to know an important art collection that sails all over the planet.
Baptism in Miami and return to Barcelona
And what will an iconic Fabergé egg do living aboard a ship? The explanation is easy: wanting to stand out for being unique compared to other super-luxury cruise lines and, above all, emphasizing the good and close relationship between Regent and Fabergé, the firm founded by the mythical jeweler of the Russian tsars. Although the ship is already sailing perfectly, the official baptism ceremony will be held on December 10 in Miami, and the ship's godmother will be Sarah Fabergé, founder of the Fabergé Heritage Council and great-granddaughter of Peter Carl Fabergé.
In 2024, after its first American season, the Grandeur will return to Barcelona that same spring with a New York-Barcelona trip arriving on April 24. Subsequently, the ship will sail through the Mediterranean for four consecutive months, always on different itineraries, although continuously visiting the Catalan capital, an essential embarkation and disembarkation port for the cruise line, until at the end of August next year it will again depart from Barcelona bound for Manhattan.
Transatlantic ultra-luxury from our port.