The ultra-luxury line will strip 29 suites from each of its three Explorer Class ships to expand every remaining accommodation, debuting a new penthouse category and the industry’s largest entry-level suites from 2027.
In an industry where “more” has long been the reflexive selling point, Regent Seven Seas Cruises is making a case for less. One of the world’s leading ultra-luxury cruise lines, Regent will reimagine accommodations across its three Explorer Class ships — Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Splendor and Seven Seas Grandeur — by removing some suites altogether in order to make the ones that remain considerably larger.
Following scheduled dry docks in 2027 and 2028, each ship will sail with a maximum of 344 suites, (down from 373), with 29 suites per ship eliminated entirely, the reclaimed space folded into an expanded, restructured suite collection designed to widen the gap between Regent and the rest of the ultra-luxury cruise field.
“Since 1992, Regent Seven Seas Cruises has undertaken a relentless pursuit of perfection,” says Wesley D’Silva, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises. “We changed the game with the launch of our Explorer Class ships in 2016, 2020 and 2023, and we are excited to now take these beloved ships to new heights. By reducing suite inventory, expanding accommodations and introducing new suite categories, we are creating an even more spacious experience at sea while strengthening the exceptional service that defines Regent.”
The Entry-Level Suite, Redefined
The most consequential change lands at the very bottom of the suite hierarchy — and that is precisely the point. Veranda Suites, long the accessible entry point into Regent’s ultra-luxury world, will be enlarged from 307 square feet to between 415 and 464 square feet, making them, by the line’s own reckoning, the largest entry-level suites in the ultra-luxury cruise sector.
Each redesigned Veranda Suite will gain a walk-in closet, double vanities and a more generous balcony, bringing amenities previously reserved for higher suite categories to what has traditionally been the ships’ most modest cabin. The upgrade runs in parallel with the Deluxe Veranda Suites already sailing aboard Regent’s Prestige Class ships, aligning the entry-level experience across the line’s newer and forthcoming vessels.
A New Penthouse Category Joins the Fleet
Also arriving in the Explorer Class collection are Horizon Penthouse Suites, a category first introduced aboard the newly built Seven Seas Prestige. Ranging from 616 to 722 square feet, the suites are built around oversized balconies that blur the line between indoor comfort and outdoor space, alongside a dedicated bedroom, full bathroom and a separate living area.
This configuration is aimed squarely at guests who want the scale of a suite without stepping all the way up to the ship’s top-tier accommodations, offering a middle tier that has, until now, been conspicuously narrow across much of the ultra-luxury segment.
Three New Signature Suites, One Per Ship
At the top of the redesign sits a trio of new Distinctive Suites, one bespoke addition per vessel: the Explorer Suite, the Splendor Suite and the Grandeur Suite, each named for its ship and each measuring between 821 and 918 square feet.
The suites pair a king-size Elite Slumber Bed with a separate sitting and dining area, one-and-a-half marble-and-stone bathrooms and an oversized private balcony. Fresh orchid arrangements, cashmere blankets, a rotating selection of pillow styles, in-suite caviar service and a dedicated butler complete an offering designed to sit comfortably among the most opulent accommodations at sea.
When It Happens
The refit rolls out over three dry docks across two years. Seven Seas Splendor leads the way when she enters dry dock in November 2027, followed by Seven Seas Explorer in April 2028 and Seven Seas Grandeur that October. By the end of the programme, all three Explorer Class ships, already among the youngest fleets in ultra-luxury cruising, will share a unified, more spacious suite architecture.
Why It Matters
Cutting nearly eight per cent of a ship’s suite inventory is not a decision any cruise line makes lightly. That Regent is doing it anyway, across its entire Explorer Class fleet, signals where the ultra-luxury market believes its next battleground lies: not in adding more guests, but in giving fewer of them more room to spread out.
For travellers who have long treated space as the ultimate luxury currency at sea, Regent’s wager is that fewer neighbours and larger suites will prove more valuable than a fuller passenger manifest — and, if the rest of the ultra-luxury sector follows suit, this may prove to be the moment the space race truly began.
If you’re contemplating a luxury cruise, check out our guide to the best ultra-luxury cruise lines, and take on the luxury hotel brands taking to sea, and our adventures aboard the Seven Seas Explorer between Bali and Sydney.
