How the luxury space ventures into adventire

I am writing this on the eve of an exciting event – tomorrow I am lucky enough to be joining Regentโ€™s Seven Seas Voyager for a segment of its world cruise from Sydney to Beijing. To say I canโ€™t wait to board is a bit of an understatement! As a cruise writer I get to hit the high seas often as you can imagine, but to do so on a ship of this calibre happens infrequently – unless you are great pals with the shipโ€™s owners!

I havenโ€™t cruised on Voyager for a few years, and in my absence sheโ€™s had somewhat of a makeover. Although not an old ship by any means, she was introduced to the world eight years ago as the worldโ€™s second all suite, all balcony liner. She also has that all-inclusive tag which we all love – gratuities, alcohol, alternative restaurants are all included in the fare, and recently even shore excursions up to a value of $200 each are also thrown in!

My reason for waxing lyrical about Voyager, aside from my unashamed pre-cruise excitement, is to bring a few other ships to the attention of cruise fans which have been making headlines of late. Last week, for example, Hapag-Lloydโ€™s Europa turned up in Sydney Harbour on a world cruise, and I was one of only a few media to get on board to see what the fuss was all about.

Europa may not be a ship many of you have heard of, even if it has been dubbed โ€œthe worldโ€™s most beautiful yachtโ€. For this reason plus a few others, it is also probably one of the industryโ€™s most intriguing ships. Europa isnโ€™t American, British or even Italian in origin, but German. In fact, our guide for the shipโ€™s tour told us that 95 per cent of her clientele are German, but Hapag-Lloyd has been trying to make inroads into new, non-German markets of late, hence the much-publicised visit to Sydney.

So what makes Europa different? I will be writing a full review in a few weeks time so stay tuned for the details, but in the meantime I can let you in on a few of her secrets and curiosities. For one, she has a panoramic top deck lounge called Sansibar, named for a famous watering hole of the same name on the German island of Sylt. What raised a few eyebrows, however, was the revelation that Europa has a private nude sun deck complete with a steward (fully clothed)! Tucked away behind the fitness centre, evidently itโ€™s the place to mingle while getting an all-over tan – or to avoid at all costs!

The ship is undeniably photogenic and has some lovely features, and having some Germany language under your belt wouldnโ€™t go amiss. The exotic, Asian influenced spa is small but one of the most beautifully designed Iโ€™ve seen at sea, and the feeling throughout is understated glamour with plenty of space. Calling her โ€œthe most beautiful yacht in the worldโ€ may be stretching it a bit, but in the company of Seabournโ€™s yachts and Regentโ€™s mid-sized all-suite hotels Europa can comfortably hold her own.

Earlier this morning two of Cunardโ€™s famous Queens arrived in port; the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth, again causing a significant flurry of activity around the harbour foreshore. When compared with Europa, these two grande dames of the high seas couldnโ€™t be more different – and Iโ€™m not just talking about their immense size or distinctive black hulls. Then thereโ€™s the Seven Seas Voyager, who arrives tomorrow morning at around 6am,ย  and will sail under the Harbour bridge to dock at wharf 5 (for anyone whoโ€™s keen on ship spotting).

Next week I will be reporting from the first part of my cruise on Voyager from North Queensland. Fingers crossed the cyclones will stay away, and thereโ€™ll be some niceย  calm seas and weather for guests to enjoy. Happy cruising!

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