Ship Inspection: Regent Seven Seas Voyager returns to New Zealand

The first thing you'll notice on entering any of the Seven Seas Voyager's suites are the desks.

Before stepping foot on the balcony of the Concierge Suite – all suites are have a balcony – there sits a very stately looking workspace, quite at home amongst the cabin's luxury furnishings.

"Most passengers have interests on shore or are still running businesses," Lisa, VP of sales for Regent New Zealand and Australia, informs me.

Of the 463 passengers on the recent world leg aboard the Seven Seas Navigator, over half were working. It's a growing trend they see amongst cruisers and the company has recently had to upgrade the wi-fi throughout the ship and cabins to accommodate this new generation of passengers.

They work hard and they play hard. And they retire, hardly.

"Sixty is still incredibly young." The average age of their passengers gives them plenty of flexibility. "People are still young enough to work but they want to see the world."

Classes in the Fitness and Aerobics Centre are always full. They might as well be, as these are included in the cost of a voyage. So too are the fridges of sports drinks beside the machines.

It is a luxury liner, and the prices reflect this, but these extras, food, drink and excursions on shore are all included.

A fortnight's cruise from Sydney, Melborne and around New Zealand in one an entry suite was recently priced at NZD$18,750pp.

There are no unpleasant surprises from the bank on return to home port and no booking into a suite with a scarcity mindset, just peace of mind to enjoy time onboard to the full.

This formula that has worked well in filling all 350 berths on the Seven Seas and the company has begun work on building their fifth ship, Seven Seas Splendour.

Talking with Steve Odell – Vice President of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, Regent's holding company – he was extremely excited about the prospect of returning to New Zealand.

"Customer satisfaction from New Zealand is extremely high and you have a lot of choice. Including destinations like Milford Sound and Fijordland, it's high on the agenda of visiting passengers."

However, Regent is keen to see New Zealand not just as a destination for luxury cruises but as growing market in its own right.

Kiwi sales have doubled over the past year and the company has recently opened a New Zealand office.

They may not be as numerous as American or Australian passengers, but Kiwi passengers are more than match in spending power dollar for New Zealand dollar.

Journeys across the Tasman and the South Pacific cruise season often means Kiwis are booking far in advance of other passengers, securing the top suites.

Jason Montague, Regent's CEO was on the Voyager in Auckland preparing to sail to Sydney.

"We are very excited to have 13 kiwi passengers with us."

"New Zealand is our seventh largest market across the world and if you consider the relative size that's fantastic."