Regent Seven Seas are returning to the Middle East during the 2022/23 cruise season with a one-off departure from Dubai in November.

Seven Seas Explorer, one of the most luxurious cruise ships in the world, will sail from Dubai to Singapore on one of the most port-intensive itineraries of the year.

The ship will call at 15 destinations during the 21-night voyage, with seven of them being the Middle East, including Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island and the UAE’s eastern seaside city of Fujairah.

Seven Seas Explorer

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Seven Seas Explorer will depart Dubai on November 21st, 2022. The ship sails fairly early at 5pm, providing little time for guests to explore the city, so many will likely take advantage of one of Regent’s pre-cruise hotel stays.

“Known as the Hong Kong of Arabia, Dubai’s modern duty-free shopping malls and traditional souks offer some of the best bargains in the world on such luxury items as gold jewellery and designer creations,” the cruise line says of the city. “For a more historic outing, visitors can explore the museum at Al Fahidi Fort or venture out into the Old Quarter of Bastakia.”

Seven Seas Explorer will spend the first week of the cruise in the Arabian Gulf, visiting Doha, the capital of Qatar; Sir Bani Yas Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, with its own private cruise beach; Abu Dhabi itself, the political and cultural capital of the UAE, home to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Louvre Abu Dhabi; and Khasab, Fujairah and Muscat.

Khasab is a small fishing village in the Musandam Peninsula

Khasab is a fishing village in the Musandam fjords, where dhows collect passengers directly from the ship for dolphin spotting cruises, while Fujairah is the UAE’s east coast seaside holiday destination, and Muscat is the ancient capital of the Sultanate of Oman.

From Oman, Seven Seas Explorer will venture out into the Indian Ocean, crossing the Arabian Sea bound for Mumbai, Goa and Mangalore in India. The ship will also call in The Maldives for two days before cruising around the southern tip of India to Phuket in Thailand and Penang, Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur, the iconic capital of Malaysia is the penultimate port call of the cruise. Here passengers can visit the soaring Petronas Towers or a Royal Palace, Gothic churches, stolid Colonial remnants and a restored Malay timber house, as well as eat: the fusion of cultures offers a variety of menus from Malay and Chinese to continental cuisines.

Seven Seas Explorer will sail from Dubai to Singapore in November

On December 12th, 2022, Seven Seas Explorer will arrive in Singapore, a city state adjacent a narrow eponymous waterway between the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

“Singapore offers diverse colourful ethnic quarters; a fantastic array of superb cuisines; and a shopping mecca second to none,” says Regent. “Passengers can embrace exotic sights and sounds as they stroll or ride a trishaw through Chinatown, the Arab Quarter or Little India, embark on a night safari at the Singapore Zoo or relax in the verdant shade of the Bukit Timah Nature Preserve.”

The very first thing you should do as you step ashore, however, is try a Singapore Sling at the bar at Raffles Hotel.