High On The Seas

Regent Seven Seas Cruises' most luxurious ship ever built, Seven Seas Explorer, would have just stopped over in Singapore on its maiden voyage to Asia. We speak to STEVE ODELL, the award-winning cruise line's senior vice president and managing director for Asia-Pacific on how his brand is elevating pleasure on sailings.

- YANNI TAN

When it comes to luxury cruising, there is really no one better to speak to than Steve Odell. The 30-year veteran in W this field, who previously held senior management roles at various international cruise lines, joined parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in 2015 to spearhead the launch of its Asia-Pacific business, with a mandate that spans not just Regent Seven Seas Cruises (RSSC), but also Oceania Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line.

With the strong rebound for the cruise industry since last year, most brands' itineraries for 2023/24 are already sold out. And RSSC is no exception. It has seen eight record-breaking launches since 2019, and the recent late-August debut of its 2024-2025 Voyage Collection even beat the previous year's booking day record. Its 2025 World Cruise, an epic 150-night journey that's the longest in its history, was sold out even before officially opening for bookings this June.

There is little wonder why. Calling itself "The World's Most Luxurious Fleet", RSSC will sail an extraordinary 160 new port-intensive itineraries in 2024/25 - 21 more sailings than the previous season. Each designed to be immersive and culturally enriching, the voyages will traverse every continent in the world. Yes, South America, the South Pacific and Antarctica are included.

The new Voyage Collection sailings range from seven nights up to the 2025 World Cruise named Away in Wonder, which boasts 395 free shore excursions and calls at truly far-flung places like the Falkland Islands, Easter Island and the Chilean fjords. The collection also features four Grand Voyages, each of which is a grand waterway adventure to dozens of ports across multiple weeks.

In celebration of RSSC's 30th anniversary this year, it has also announced the arrival of its sixth ship, the Seven Seas Grandeur, next November. Its itineraries will feature the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and a debut season in Canada and New England, US.