Seven Seas Voyager is a mid-size cruise liner, but large by luxury ship standards. Following her extensive 2017 refit, we take an in-depth look at her and all she offers.
Seven Seas Voyager from Regent Seven Seas Cruises is marketed by the line as exceeding even the most stringent expectations of luxury and for a ship of her size, she is packed with more amenities than one might expect, while every single one of her cabins is a suite with its own balcony. Seven Seas Voyager is exclusive indeed.
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The ship is 204.20m long (670 feet), with a gross tonnage of 42,363 making her mid-sized in comparison to the 100,000-plus gross tonnage cruise liners becoming more common in the world of ocean travel nowadays. However, the amenities and public rooms offered aboard are comparable to her larger rivals, and because Seven Seas is a luxury cruise line, the smaller size of the ship makes her more intimate, adding to the feeling onboard of exclusivity, rather than anonymity in a crowd.
Dining
Seven Seas Voyager’s four dining rooms and alfresco grill offer five distinct dining experiences for her 700 guests.
Compass Rose
There is the usual Compass Rose dining room, aft on Deck 4, the flagship eatery aboard every one of the ships in the Seven Seas fleet, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in an elegant ambiance of gold, white and maroon. The Canyon Ranch SpaClub® dishes are Compass Rose’s specialities. As with all restaurants aboard Seven Seas Ships, Seven Seas Voyager’s dining rooms do not operate to a schedule and guests can eat when they like in what Seven Seas Cruises calls open-seating.
Signatures and Prime 7
The two most genteel restaurants aboard Seven Seas Voyager are the Prime 7 and Signatures restaurants, although they’re near-polar opposites of one another. The steakhouse Prime 7 to port on Deck 5 (formerly Latitudes) is reminiscent of a gentleman’s smoking room, with leather wing-back chairs and earthy colours, serving hearty food with a distinct American flare, while Signatures, also on Deck 5 and also to port, but further aft, serves food prepared by Le Cordon Bleu® trained chefs in candle lit romance and refinement.
Both restaurants require reservations and offer dinner only, probably because it’s harder to give prosaic breakfast or lunch the same sense of occasion.
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La Veranda (above)
Those looking for a less formal affair can eat at La Veranda, a smart-casual option to port and starboard on Deck 11 aft where meals are served throughout the day and the variety of choice is presented in a buffet, enabling guests to wear jeans and a shirt without feeling under-dressed. There is also an outdoor option for those who prefer fresh air, although smokers should not that they cannot light up in the outdoor area of La Veranda. However, the Connoisseur Club, Casino and Voyager Lounge, clustered together in the mid-section of Deck 4, do permit smoking indoors, while the Horizon Lounge aft on Deck 5 has an outdoor smoking area. The Pool Bar, forward and to port on Deck 11 also allows smoking. Guests should note that the super-casual ‘come as you are’ Pool Grill aft of the swimming pools also does not permit smoking, even though it is an al fresco restaurant.
Lounges
Seven Seas Voyager’s public rooms are immaculate and thoroughly modern, having been continuously ‘touched-up’ since the ship was launched in 2003. The Constellation Theatre, forward on decks 4 and 5 is the main show lounge, where cabaret ensembles and theatre productions are performed for a two-tier audience, backed by the nine-piece Regent Signature Orchestra. For those more interested in financial thrill seeking than theatre, the casino is a well-appointed and surprisingly elegant location considering that it offers slot machines as well as blackjack, roulette, stud poker and mini-craps.
Voyager Lounge
Seven Seas Voyager’s public lounges and bars evoke that ageless ocean voyage romance and tradition. Voyager Lounge on Deck 4 is located near the Compass Rose restaurant, the ship’s de facto main dining room, so that guests might mingle over a pre-dinner cocktail while a pianist sets the mood. With its dark blue furniture set against dark mahogany-coloured wood, this room shines at night, especially due to the bar, which necessarily dominates the room. After dinner, one might take a short stroll to the Connoisseur Club, also on Deck 4, for a post-dinner cigarette or cigar and a coffee.
As one might expect, this lounge harkens back to an old-school English gentleman’s club, although ladies are, of course, welcome. One might then head one deck up to Deck 5 for a drink and a dance in the Horizon Lounge, a viable alternative to the show lounge, while the Observation Lounge, way forward on Deck 11, with its impressive view over the bow, is a perfect spot from which to reflect and end the night. The Observation Lounge is graced with evening performances of a more subdued nature than the show lounge, so guests can enjoy any public room at any point in the evening…or day for that matter!
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Entertainment
Entertainment options aboard Seven Seas Voyager, like other ships in the fleet, are fairly unique in that the usual Pictionary and Charades-type lounge games are replaced by what Seven Seas calls ‘onboard enrichment’.
Guests are able to delve deep into their various interests with lectures by special guest speakers, workshops and classes on specific issues and themes and what the line calls “Spotlights”, which are in-depth explorations of specific topics.
There is also an Internet Cafe, forward of the boutiques and Prime 7 on Deck 5, for keeping in touch with land via email, or for those who need the Internet no matter where they may be in the world – wireless is available throughout the ship and is one of the few services onboard for which guests are charged (drinks, mini-bar daily replenishment, shore excursions and room service being inclusive of your cruise fare).
Seven Seas also offers art auctions onboard its ships, including Voyager and every afternoon High Tea is served in the Horizon Lounge, complete with scones and other delicacies, such as fresh sandwiches. Shopping is another activity that is bound to appeal to the UAE-based guest aboard Seven Seas Voyager and Deck 5 will prove impressive in its selection of duty free boutiques in the shopping area.
Alongside fine dining and superb service, spa and fitness offerings are consistently ranked by passengers as being essential to their full enjoyment of a cruise vacation and the Seven Seas Voyager Spa, run by the acclaimed Canyon Ranch SpaClub®, is a world class floating fortress of relaxation and rejuvenation. In the Fitness Centre, all the equipment one needs to stay in shape is found, along with Canyon Ranch staff to offer guidance and popular exercise classes. Regent Seven Seas, combining logic and convenience seamlessly, have placed these amenities together, in the forward part of Deck 6, where steam saunas are also available.
Out on deck, the teak-clad pool on Deck 11 is huge, belying the mid-size nature of Seven Seas Voyager, with a large heated pool framed by two whirlpools forward to port and starboard (left and right to the landlubber!). Deck 12, circling Deck 11, is the ship’s sports deck with a jogging track that encircles the ship. Up here, guests can also play table tennis, challenge one another at shuffleboard or partake in a spot of golf in the specially-designed golf cages.
2017 Refit
Seven Seas Voyager was thoroughly renovated in 2017, giving her a luxurious new décor and a new collection of spectacular production shows for the Constellation Theater. Seven Seas Voyager underwent an extensive, 25-day refurbishment as part of our $125 million fleet-wide refurbishment program, and is now underway on a 23-night Barcelona to Dubai voyage that departed on Nov. 9. She now boasts the same elegant style and indisputable attention to detail famously featured on Seven Seas Explorer,providing all of our ships with a consistent look-and-feel.
Seven Seas Voyager joins Seven Seas Navigator as the second ship to receive this stylish new update to the public spaces and suites onboard. In addition to the elegant new décor, the ship will debut five new production shows in the Constellation Theater.
While the shipboard enhancements extend from bow-to-stern, some of the more notable renovations include:
- Penthouse, Concierge and Deluxe Suites: The largest collection of suites onboard the ship received a contemporary design that helps accentuate the spaciousness of the suites.
- Compass Rose: The ship’s flagship restaurant received a stunning new look with grand crystal chandeliers, rich wooden accents and celestial blue furnishings. The restaurant features a completely new menu that offers guests an unprecedented level of personal customization and choice, making it essentially the largest specialty restaurant at sea.
- Chartreuse: Already a guest favorite on Seven Seas Explorer, Chartreuse made its debut on Seven Seas Voyager as part of the ship’s refurbishment. The restaurant features new furnishings, china, flooring and décor elements inspired by the Chartreuse on Seven Seas Explorer, along with a completely new menu.
- La Veranda: La Veranda will feature a fresh and airy design with light grey colored flooring and accent walls which accentuate the natural light coming from the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows. In a major structural change, the buffet is now open to both sides of the restaurant and features a new cook-to-order grill station.
- Pool Grill: The outdoor eating area offers a new infrared barbeque grill, so chefs can prepare savory barbeque specialties such as steaks, chops, lamb and salmon on the open deck.
- Voyager Lounge: The marquee lounge features a beautiful new design that was inspired by a modern interpretation of a French cabaret. A timelessly elegant décor with large champagne-colored chandeliers cascading down over crimson colored loveseats along a wall of oversized windows provides guests with the perfect locale to enjoy live nightly musical entertainment.
Areas also touched during the refurbishment of Seven Seas Voyager include the Reception Area, Coffee Connection, Connoisseur Lounge, Card Room, boutiques, casino and the Canyon Ranch SpaClub. In addition to the physical enhancements, the ship comes out of dry dock with five new astonishing production shows.
- Tuxedo: Highlighted by a live orchestra, Tuxedo presents a fresh take on the music of the Rat Pack, Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole and Frank Sinatra while also showcasing dynamic arrangements of classic songs by contemporary artists like Michael Bublé, Christina Aguilera, Brian Setzer and Harry Connick Jr.
- Lights, Camera, Music!: This elegant tribute to Hollywood musicals showcases cinematic classics songs from the past three-quarters of a century.
- Broadway in Concert: The talented cast of Seven Seas Voyager will take guests on a journey through Broadway past and present with songs from Guys and Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, Cabaret, Les Miserable and many more.
- Vegas The Show: This show recreates some of the greatest moments in the history of Sin City, and the exciting entertainers who have made Vegas one of the entertainment capitals of the world. Guests will enjoy music from The Rat Pack, Elvis, Sonny and Cher, and Tina Turner.
- Dancin’ Fool: An extraordinary evening of music and dance led by the Seven Seas Voyager cast that ranges from jive, salsa, quick step, disco and Broadway-style Fosse.
Seven Seas Voyager is a first-class cruise liner for those who want to feel special and travel in sublime comfort, while exploring some of the most exotic locations in the world.
Seven Seas Voyager at a Glance:
Launched: 2003
Refurbished (most recent): 2017
GRT: 42,363
Length: 670’ (204.2m)
Beam: 94’ 5’ (28.8m)
Capacity (double occupancy): 700
Categories: Ship Reviews
