ONBOARD THE SEVEN SEAS EXPLORER -- Standing in the Regent Suite, it's hard to remember what the fuss was all about.
Almost nine years ago, this ship debuted amid an avalanche of publicity about the 4,400-square-foot suite. The epitome of over-the-top luxury, it was said to be the largest single suite at sea. Among other amenities, it featured a window-facing electronic console where an occupant could monitor all the navigation information and movements made on the bridge.
Today, while the gold fixtures and onyx wall panels still seem impressive, the Regent Suite isn't quite the focus of attention it used to be.
Back then it was the one and only. Now, after the introduction of sister ships Seven Seas Splendor and Seven Seas Grandeur, there are three suites to choose from of similar size and style.
In the same vein, the ship's vaunted collection of art -- much of it personally curated by former Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio -- doesn't seem as prominent a part of the ship's appeal as it did then.
Tom Stieghorst writes: "Bears are typically the hardest to spot among Alaska's many wild inhabitants. So when I heard a Regent cruise excursion practically guaranteed a sighting, I signed up."
Yes, that's still a Picasso hanging in the bar at the entrance to the Prime 7 steakhouse. But guests I talked to were more interested in Regent's all-inclusive value proposition than in the legendary Spanish painter.
For all the bombast about the Explorer being the "most luxurious ship ever built," it was another comment Del Rio made in a 2016 interview that in 2025 seems to sum up the ship's ambience. "I wanted this ship to be timeless," Del Rio said, "that this vessel will be as relevant to the luxury market 20 years from now as it is today."
And that's how I found the Explorer on a five-night trip to Alaska, the first segment of an 18-night Vancouver-to-Tokyo cruise.
From the oversize, sparkling chandelier that greets passengers as they enter the two-level lobby of the ship to the caviar breakfast on offer in the restaurants on Sunday morning, the ship seemed to make its luxury statement in a confident way.
An oversize chandelier in the lobby sends a luxury message to arriving guests. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
Back onboard
A white orchid -- and not a small one -- greeted us in our suite, which looked about as fresh as it did eight years ago when we boarded for an inaugural cruise to Monaco. The walk-in closet made dressing for dinner a breeze.
Our best meal was in the pan-Asian Pacific Rim specialty restaurant. It's not my favorite cuisine, but everything was tasty, innovative and attractively presented. The no-reservations Sette Mari at La Veranda was hard to get into, but a nice swordfish steak with a Mediterranean preparation made it worth the wait.
In the theater, destination expert Terry Breen gave insightful enrichment talks on Alaska history and glaciers. A terrific film on salmon-eating bears prepped us for an excursion to see the real thing.
The evening entertainment included comedian John Fast, whose "Older Than I Look" show hit the demographic sweet spot for a Regent audience. The one show from the Explorer Production Company that we were able to catch, "Paradis," featured a variety of French cabaret vignettes. It was sophisticated in that cabaret kind of way, and the dancing was sensational.
A production show called "Paradis," one of four on the Explorer. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
The ship's stop in Ketchikan was my first exposure to the new NCLH dock north of town, which opened in 2021 and is nicely done. A 20-minute shuttle ride takes you downtown.
The expanded Icy Strait Point cruise port in Hoonah, which was co-developed by NCLH, is very well designed and a good alternative to ever more crowded Juneau.
Del Rio's legacy
Increasingly, the Explorer looks like a pivot point in Regent history, and it's hard to overstate the impact of Del Rio on the ship.
Before the Explorer, Regent hadn't built a new ship in 13 years, and its fleet was a holdover from the days under Radisson hotels ownership. Del Rio helped engineer the acquisition of Regent by the larger Norwegian Cruise Line and then put his heart and soul into designing Explorer and promoting it as a ship for the ages.
The Culinary Arts Kitchen on the Seven Seas Explorer offers cooking classes. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
Now, with three modern vessels in the six-ship fleet and two more in the works due out in 2026 and 2029, Regent is as solid as any of the names in luxury cruising and able to point to its history and brand integrity when facing down new luxury competitors.
Famously loaded with "over an acre of marble and granite" plus its $5 million art collection, the Explorer cost more than $450 million, a huge price tag for a 746-passenger ship. In the short run, there must have been some who questioned the ship's returns at that price, but in the long run it has proven its value as the foundation of Regent's future.