Cruising has never been on the top of this writer’s travel list — except for her travel bucket list of cruising Europe. After embarking on a Baltic Sea bucket list cruise on Regent Seven Seas Explorer, luxury cruising made her a believer again — and ready to experience more voyages. From bucket list excursions to sipping fine wine, get ready for cruising Europe in style with these reasons to cruise on Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
8 Reasons Why: Cruising Europe in Style with Regent Seven Seas Cruises
1. Everything is Included!
2. Everyone Gets a Spacious Suite!
3. OMG, The Food and the Wine!
4. Unlimited Shore Excursions.
5. Check Bucket List Destinations Off Your Travel List.
6. Go to the Shows!
7. Did I Mention? Flights Included Too.
8. Smaller Ship Equals Bigger Experiences.
My first (and only) cruise was over 15 years ago, on an assignment, and my sister was my guest. We were the youngest on this Panama Canal cruise by some-30 years. Although I did enjoy the cruise destinations and traveling with my sister, it wasn’t my favorite onboard experience, as pretty much the nightlife ended at 11 pm.
And then I experienced cruising Europe in style on Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Oh my, what a difference a few years and luxury cruising can make! I am now all aboard with luxury cruising with Regent — and can’t wait for my next one.
Get ready to experience an intimate cruise with just 750 passengers, over-the-top-everything, supersized cabins, and some of the best food on the seas (according to Travel+Leisure). From gourmet food to excursions, read on what will be your best experience cruising Europe and 8 reasons why you should cruise on Regent Seven Seas!
1. Everything is Included!
Seriously. Everything. Other cruises may offer an appealing rate to get you onboard, but then your cheapo vacation increases by the minute. Want a soda? Want a glass of wine? How about adding an excursion. Do you hear the ka-ching of the cash register? Yep, more, more and more dollars spent adding “extras” increases to that once affordable cruise vacation.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises include EVERYTHING. The amazing excursions. Fantastic food with non-alcoholic AND alcoholic beverages. And what I loved was that the included wine and spirits were top shelf! And there’s more that’s included…just keep reading.
2. Everyone Gets a Spacious Suite!
I’m one of those travelers who spreads out and gets comfortable in my room. But with cruises? Mmm, not really happening. At least, I thought that until I checked into my spacious Regent Seven Seas Explorer suites — the cabin an amazing307 square feet! My Veranda suite was elegant, well-laid out, and plenty of room for both me and my traveling partner. And the view from the balcony? Priceless.
What I really loved that I didn’t have on my last cruise was the extra storage space — drawers, drawers, and drawers, plus a large closet to hang clothing as well. We had plenty of space to unpack and store everything, and then we simply slid our suitcases underneath the beds.
And I didn’t complain about the beautiful bottle of champagne chilling and waiting for our arrival.
3. OMG, The Food and the Wine!
Did we mention everything is included? And foodies will not be disappointed on board a Regent Seven Seas cruise. The restaurants are elegant; the dining staff is knowledgeable, and the food is impressive — and covers a wide range of tastes from fine dining to casual.
Indulge your inner Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup with a glass of hearty red paired with Foie gras at the French restaurant, Chartreuse.
Or feeling more laissez faire, then kick back at the La Veranda buffet with hamburgers near Deck 11 pool. At night this restaurant turns into a casual Italian restaurant mixing buffet, and table service.
Want prime rib? Check that off your list at Prime 7. Lunch is also available at Chartreuse or Prime 7.
My favorite restaurant was the Pacific Rim, with a pan-Asian fusion menu — because I love me some sushi! My roommate hadn’t made reservations in advance, but on our shuttle to the ship, one of the managers suggested that we stop by early.
Each night, we called The Compass Rose (deck 4) — and usually ended there because their dessert souffle was to-die-for!
Wine, Spirits, and Soda also included.
And you can dine at any restaurant, from fine dining to casual, without spending an additional Euro (or whatever your currency might be). That includes ordering your adult beverages and/or sodas — no extra charge (although you may opt to purchase a special bottle of wine from their cellar).
SheBuysTravel Tip: Reservations are recommended, but if you’re not a planning type of diner, then show up early or late to check on availability. Also, if you’re willing to share your table with other passengers, you’ll have more luck with reservations — and it’s also a great way to meet and socialize with others on the cruise.
4. Unlimited Shore Excursions.
I know I mentioned this above, but seriously, this was one of the coolest benefits of the Regent Seven Seas cruise. Enjoy as many shore excursions as you can fit into your schedule for the ultimate bucket list cruise. Granted, you only have so much time in the day, but on my Baltic Sea cruise, I definitely wanted to explore each country the ship docked in. And I did! There were so many excursions to choose that it was difficult to narrow down.
Free excursions ranged from walking city tours, historical and heritage tours, art and architecture, cooking classes, visits to museums, and more. The difficulty of the walking tours was clearly defined. Some excursions, such as cooking classes, were clearly marked as an additional charge, but fellow passengers who participated in those raved about them — and I definitely felt like I missed out!
SheBuysTravel Tip: Book your excursions early! As soon as you receive confirmation of your cruise, book your excursion. Many of the more popular ones were filled quickly. However, if your favorite is full, add your name to the wait-list as I did. When someone cancels, you’ll get a message in your cabin, as I did for “Fairy Tales & Legends of the Witches Hill & Amber Bay” in Lithuania. All you have to do is confirm your participation and pick up your tour ticket.
5. Check Bucket List Destinations Off Your Travel List
Usually, when travelers plan a vacation, it’s logistically possible to only check one — maybe a two or three — bucket list destinations off your list, and that involves a lot of packing, unpacking, re-packing, flights, trains — oh my. However, when you embark on a cruise, passengers unpack once, sit back and enjoy the view, while the ship’s captain and crew take you to your next destination.
Regent Seven Seas offers luxury cruises visiting over 300 ports worldwide. With the theme of Vikings & Monarchs, my Regent Baltic Sea cruise began in Copenhagen, Denmark and ended in Stockholm, Sweden. The cruise also included stops in the ports of Warnemünde (Rostock), Germany; Klaipeda, Lithuania; Riga, Latvia; Helsinki, Finland; St. Petersburg, Russia; Tallinn, Estonia. And as I mentioned in #3, these shore excursions are included in the price of your cruise.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Want to know more about the different countries. Be sure to stop by for the complimentary lectures onboard. While I was there, Regent offered “Smithsonian Enrichment Lectures,” such as the one presented by Nadieszda Kizenko on “The Last Pagans? Lithuania and Vanished Europe.”
6. Go to the Theatre!
When cruising Europe in style, of course, there’s got to be theatre. And we enjoyed so many fun shows onboard the Regent Seven Seas Explorer. Shows presented on board during our Baltic Sea cruise included My Revolution (song and dance extravaganza from Broadway) and The Music of Peggy Lee.
On the last night, while docked in St. Petersburg, Russia, the cruise hosted a folkloric show, the “Cossacks of Mukienko.”
And yep, these shows are also free. Grab a glass of wine or cocktail (also free) and get comfy.
7. Did I Mention? Flights Included Too.
Cruise fares on all Regent Seven Seas voyages for all guests in all suites include FREE ROUNDTRIP AIR* from domestic ports. Intercontinental flights include FREE BUSINESS CLASS AIR* for all guests in all suite categories.
(Read more details here*.)
8. Smaller Ship Equals Bigger Experiences.
And the best part is that since the Regent Seven Seas ships are smaller, your entire cruise experience is most definitely a luxury one. Forget about getting lost in the crowds on an expansive mega-cruise ship as the Regent offers a more intimate experience Your journey with Regent will be filled with special moments with the crew as the guest to staff ratio is 1 to 1.5.
I enjoyed a nightly after-dinner glass of Pinot Grigio (Santa Margherita) at the Meridian Lounge located on Deck 5 mid-ship. As soon as I entered, the bar staff would have the wine glass out, look to me for a nod yes, and then pour the wine. Or if I shook my head no, he’d get out the martini glass and pour me a Cosmopolitan. Even better the staff took time to notice my preferred wine and suggest tastings of other similar tasting varietals that I might like. And I did! Beautiful!
When choosing luxury cruising to fulfill bucket list cruise trips, I’ll definitely be cruising Europe in style while onboard Regent Seven Seas.
Cathy Bennett Kopf, Optimism SheBuysTravel says
That food! I’d roll off the ship…how many walking laps around the deck do you need to counter balance those meals – looks like heaven on the high seas!
sarah says
Wow, those free excursions sound really good. I’m a big fan of walking city tours, history tours, architecture – but to also offer cooking classes and museums. Those are really good cruise excursions.
Judy Antell says
You had be at unlimited shore excursions