Regent Seven Seas Cruises® Unveils New Shore Excursions

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has launched two new land excursion concepts to expand the impressive destination experiences the luxury cruise line is known for. The Behind the Design and Eco-Connect tours invite travelers to explore destinations and sights from unique perspectives.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has launched two new shore excursion concepts to further expand the impressive destination experiences the luxury cruise line is known for. The Behind the Design- and Eco Connecttours invite travelers to explore destinations and sights from unique and original perspectives.Online editor: Mical Joseph
Image: Regent Seven Seas CruisesRegent Seven Seas Cruises, the world's leading luxury cruise line, has been delivering an unparalleled experience for more than thirty years. With space for up to 732 guests on board, the spacious and stylish ships sail – Seven Seas Explorer®, Seven Seas Mariner®, Seven Seas Navigator®, Seven Seas Splendor®, Seven Seas Voyager® and from 2023 Seven Seas Grandeur™ – from the world's most luxurious fleet to more than 450 iconic destinations worldwide. With unparalleled space by the Sea™, guests can enjoy personalized service at the highest level as well as luxurious all-suite accommodations, some of the largest at sea and almost all with private balconies. Included are shore excursions, all meals at a variety of specialty restaurants and al fresco dining options, quality wines and spirits, entertainment, unlimited Internet access, valet laundry, gratuities and a pre-cruise hotel night for guests staying in Concierge Suites and above .

Behind the Design

Behind the Design guided tour offer incredible insights into some of the world's most fascinating and brilliant architectural gems, such as the Royal Library and the Blue Planet aquarium in Copenhagen, Denmark; It Equinoroffice building and it Munchmuseet in Oslo, Norway; and the La Villa Mediterranee en MUCEM in Marseilles, France. There are 10 in total Behind the Design guided tour for the initial launch, exclusive to European destinations in summer 2022. Each tour features extraordinary stories and information from expert guides about the inspiration, reasoning and genius that brought these wonders to life. Others Behind the Design guided tour to be launched will focus on locations in Barcelona, ​​Spain; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Glasgow, Scotland; La Coruna, Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; and Sète, France.

Eco Connect

With a choice of more than 150 Eco Connect guided tour around the world, guests can connect with local groups and businesses to learn how they are working to preserve and make their environment more sustainable. The tours, many of which offer an educational element, give guests the opportunity to participate in a variety of experiences, including tasting organic wine at a sustainable vineyard in Bordeaux, France; helping create a paradise for sloths to roam in Puntarenas, Costa Rica; or gain a new appreciation for the diverse flora and fauna around Hue, Vietnam while walking through the beautiful Bach Ma National Park. Eco Connect guided tour extend around the world and include a wide variety of destinations such as Africa, Alaska, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Northern Europe and South America.

Behind the Design tours

Behind the Design: Copenhagen, Denmark

Royal Library & Blue Planet

Wander through two radical, modernist buildings with an architectural historian who will reveal unknown facts about the extraordinary designs. The Black Diamondexpansion of the Royal Library is as revolutionary as it seems. The irregularly shaped monolithic prism is clad in black granite and faces the river to capture as much natural light as possible. The building's significant slope, undulating balconies and expanding form presented a whole host of design challenges that the guide will explain. The Blue Planet is perhaps even more striking because this is the largest aquarium in Europe and resembles a gigantic whirlpool – a design inspired by the shape of water in endless motion. The exterior of the building is covered in aluminum panels reminiscent of fish scales, while the curved interior ceiling evokes images of the baleen of an enormous whale. The guide takes a closer look at the technological challenges of constructing the Blue Planet-coast.

Behind the Design: Oslo, Norway

Equinor & Munch Museum

Discover how two exceptionally modern buildings transformed Oslo's skyline and pushed the boundaries of design. A guide for architectural historians will delve deeper into the buildings' advanced technologies and present a rare insider's perspective on the construction. The iconic Equinoroffice building consists of five separate rectangular modules that are stacked on top of each other at different angles, all to optimize daylight and views. Guests will also hear fascinating details about how the atrium's propeller-shaped glass roof is designed to withstand months of extra weight from snow. Also the Munchmuseet, a 13-story museum dedicated to the works of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, was affected by the climatic conditions. It is built with low-carbon concrete and aluminum cladding that reflects bright sunlight and is cooled with seawater. The top of the building deliberately tilts forward, as if in tribute to Oslo.

Behind the Design: Marseilles, France

La Villa Mediterranee & MUCEM

Gain an insider's insight into the challenges of building two avant-garde monuments by exploring them with an architectural historian. La Villa Mediterranee, located along the waterfront, is designed to symbolize Marseille's deep bond with the sea. Instantly recognized for its prominent cantilevered structure, this three-level public space also features a porthole conference center under the sea. As guests will discover, that ground floor offered all kinds of unusual circumstances that pushed the boundaries of architecture. The building overlooks MUCEM, a national museum dedicated to Mediterranean civilizations. The bold design includes elements such as tree-like columns, a lacy facade that resembles a fishing net, and a sleek walkway connecting it to the towering ramparts of Fort St. Jean. The square-within-a-square shape of MUCEM is classic in a sense, but radically different because of the building materials. The concrete filigree that shields much of the structure is particularly stunning.

Eco-Connect Tours

Bordeaux wines and sustainability: Bordeaux, France

During this Eco Connect tour guests discover how the switch to biodynamic and organic farming improves the quality of the prized wines Castle of La Dauphine has increased further. The first vineyards in the Fronsac region of Bordeaux were planted about 2000 years ago, so this appellation has a long history. Still, the new owners tried Castle of La Dauphine in 2015 to improve their wines by applying sustainable biodynamic practices that go far beyond pesticide-free organic farming methods. Biodynamic farming takes a holistic, ethical approach that follows the harmonious cycles of nature, especially the movement of the moon and planets. During the tour of the vineyards, guests will learn about biodynamic agriculture and its influence on the terroir and the taste of the wines. The tasting that follows will provide even more insight. The exact wines will be chosen upon arrival, but will likely include an elegant, deep red Merlot.

A sloth paradise – Give back to nature: Puntarenas, Costa Rica

When visiting a sanctuary for sloths that have been orphaned, injured, or lost their habitat to deforestation, guests can get up close and personal with the animals as they are rehabilitated in the hopes of returning them to the wild. Sloths are the world’s slowest animals, spending most of their day hanging upside down in trees and rarely traveling more than 38 feet (XNUMX meters). If their habitat is disturbed or destroyed, sloths are at great risk. Guests can observe baby sloths and many adults in various stages of rehabilitation. The guide will describe the habits of sloths in the wild and how they easily adapt to the sanctuary’s environment, which mimics a tropical forest. Deforestation is one of the biggest threats to sloths, so to support their cause, travelers can plant a tree in a nearby forest reserve.

Bach Ma National Park Ecosystem: Hue, Vietnam

Guests can pass through Bach Ma National Park walking with a naturalist who will point out and describe the remarkably diverse flora and fauna. As an introduction to the natural wonders, travelers will first view the exhibits in the visitor center, which describe the park's mountainous topography. Bach Mon means 'white horse', a reference to the clouds that drift with the wind around the granite peak. As the trail ascends, the forest becomes denser and the air cooler. Although the ruins of houses that the colonial French built to escape the summer heat are still visible, almost every other sight will be natural. Birds are plentiful, including red-headed trogons and scarlet minivets, which are easy to recognize because of their bright colors. A fifth of all plant species found in Vietnam reside in the park and rare orchids can be seen. The summit offers panoramic views of the Tam Giang Lagoon and Hue mountains.