Regent Seven Seas Cruises has recorded robust bookings for its 2027/2028 program launched in late June, which includes the luxury cruise line’s new ship, Seven Seas Prestige.Speaking exclusively with LATTE at Virtuoso Travel Week, Steve Odell, Senior Vice President International & Consumer Sales for Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises, said the global market response for the new season was “phenomenal”.“We had huge booking days, and high demand booking in the top end of suites,” Odell told us.“I see the interest is for a number of reasons.It’s bucket list travel – when you book that far out, you’re looking at bucket list travel people who want a good suite and they want a particular destination. And so what we saw trending then was the long voyages.”Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.Odell highlighted Regent’s 65-day Grand South America Mosaic voyage aboard Seven Seas Mariner, departing in early January 2028, plus the reintroduction of a circumnavigation of Australia in mid-January 2028, sailing for over a month roundtrip from Sydney, also aboard Seven Seas Mariner. The now Miami-based cruise chief said he battled to have a ship back for a full revolution of Australia.“We’d done a circumnavigation before and we were pretty successful at it. And then other people got in on the idea and promoted it, and it gets to be a bit of a crowded marketplace.””But we haven’t seen it too much lately so we’ve reinstated it for January 2028, and it’s proven to be the second best selling itinerary of the new program,” Odell told LATTE.He said the 32-day counterclockwise circling of Australia is already starting to top up, particularly in the top end.Regent has also broadened its Mediterranean season in 2027/28 by going in earlier, or making the Atlantic crossing later. The program covers sailings through to May 2028, and the market is “lapping it up,” Odell adds.“Shoulder season is picking up, but you’ve got to properly plan the itineraries because not everything is open, but I think shoulder season has become bigger. Iceland is another trending destination.”
“There’s bucket list travel, and people, when they spend at the Regent level, want good accommodation. They want space because they’re going to be there a long time – so that’s what we’re seeing trending.”
Odell said that Japan continues to spike, requiring more capacity. “The season has broadened out a bit. We arrive around the same time as previous years, but we stay a bit longer. The Japan itinerary is good value, and culturally, from a language point of view, it’s an easy way to travel.”The ’27/’28 program offers the inaugural sailings aboard new ship, Seven Seas Prestige, with Odell noting “a lot of past passengers are wanting to experience the new ship.”Seven Seas Prestige will feature the latest edition of the cruise line’s supremely decadent Regent Suite, spread across two levels and occupying a foot print of 817 square metres. The Skyview Regent Suite is priced at approximately AU$40,000 per night.Odell said – at the time of LATTE‘s interview two week ago – that of the first 13 sailings released aboard Prestige (which will debut in December 2026), the Skyview Regent Suite had been sold on 10 of the departures. And a waitlist is already growing on some of those reserved sailings.
“These are not people that are saving up. These are guests that have the cash and just have to have it,” he said.
“We were confident as we had done our research. And when you compare the prices to a big suite in a hotel, the value is incredible. It has all the inclusions with it. But we are pleasantly satisfied by the success.”
Odell adds that “business has been very consistent. We were well booked for 2025 but we had some top up to do, but we’ve seen late business into Europe this year.”Locally, Lisa Pile, Vice President Sales & General Manager, Asia Pacific of Regent Seven Seas Cruises said April 2025 had been “fantastic” in terms of sales.“I was, initially, very concerned because we had the election coming up, we had Anzac Day, we had school holidays, Easter, all in that month. But we had the strongest April I’ve seen in 10 years. Then the first two weeks of May, it dipped around the election, and then business took off again.”Pile’s pick of the 2027/2028 program, which she describes as “the most beautiful voyage I’ve ever seen”, is Regent’s Grand European Discovery, from New York to Athens, “with absolutely everything in between, over 74 nights.”
More broadly, Pile said the demand for Regent’s cruises has been “incredible”, having just achieved another record week of sales earlier this month.“It’s very strong. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but demand is very strong.”Pile tells LATTEshe believes the success in the Australia market has flowed since the ‘First Time’ campaign, that embarked on bringing either new-to-cruise or new-to-brand guests to Regent Seven Seas Cruises.“In every market, the First Time campaign has resulted in a very strong response. Asia Pacific has batted above its weight, and that’s where I believe we’re seeing a lot of our success. We’ve brought those new clients on a journey with us over the last six years,” she said.Odell says a key strategy is getting the first time cruiser and getting the first time repeat cruiser.
“That’s the lifeblood of the future. As we grow with the new ships we need to be feeding the funnel of new customers.”
“The baby boomers are now all in their 60s, so we’ve got to be properly targeting the next generation, the X’s and the Millennials, who are starting to cruise because of the value proposition, and the comfort,” Odell concludes.
