DEPARTURES TRAVEL SHIP
DEPARTURES TRAVEL SHIP TALK 20 In the Explora I, designer Martin Francis has conceived an exterior profile that’s more giga-yacht than traditional cruise ship double kayaks, paddleboards and SEABOBs is lowered. Following the launch in August, itineraries will focus on Croatia and the Eastern Mediterranean, before the lure of the Caribbean beckons. Not to be outdone, the 922-guest Explora I (explorajourneys.com) is a study in debonair style, which is the quintessence of Explora Journeys, a new luxury cruise enterprise from the megacorp that owns MSC Cruises. Design guru Martin Francis, who has created some of the world’s most iconic craft, has conceived an exterior profile that’s more gigayacht than traditional cruise ship. As guests on the maiden sailing in July will discover, the ambience is one of luxurious grand European hotels with a harmonious residential élan. Nine distinct culinary experiences include the French-inspired Fil Rouge, Marble & Co Grill as well as Med Yacht Club, which specialises in plates to share that include plant-based ingredients. There are three outdoor swimming pools and 64 private cabanas, while an indoor pool with a retractable glass roof is adjacent to a vast spa and fitness studios. The embellishment of sea-going decadence continues in November when Seven Seas Grandeur (rssc.com) takes guilty pleasures to the next level. Superlatives are sure to crowd each other off the page, notably by the pièce de résistance of the ship’s multimillion-dollar art collection: the first Fabergé egg to reside at sea. The fetching new design of Compass Rose starts outside the restaurant, where a metal-and-glass waterfall sculpture imbues an aura of tranquillity. Within this refined temple to epicurean art, a canopy of interwoven crystal and wood-edge illuminated trees gives the impression of dining in an enchanted forest. Additionally, the luscious French Chartreuse and urbane Prime 7 steakhouse depict design features from 1925 Paris and The sumptuous interiors of the Regent Suite aboard Seven Seas Grandeur A first look at the forthcoming Explora I the Art Deco movement as well as the romance of fin-de-siècle New York. With a reveal set to be writ large in December, Celebrity Ascent (celebritycruises.com) is the latest smoking-hot behemoth to attest that maritime architectural zeal knows no bounds. The fourth and last in Celebrity Cruises’ awardwinning Edge-Class series of ships, this lodestar takes the company’s design cred further than ever. The 918 Infinite Veranda staterooms blur the boundary between indoors and outdoors at the touch of a button. Six Edge Villas are two-storey suites which feature an elevated master bedroom, a large living room, two full bathrooms and a private plunge pool. The Retreat, designed by Kelly Hoppen, is a three-deck-high resortwithin-a-resort enclave for all guests occupying suites. This aerie consists of a private pool, a sun terrace and bar, a lounge and the Luminae gourmet restaurant. Foodies will also relish the tour de force that is Le Voyage, created by acclaimed chef Daniel Boulud, the company’s global culinary ambassador. Assuredly, cruising continues to shatter stereotypes as new vessels progress from prosaic to prodigy. FROM TOP: MORTEN FALCH SORTLAND, © RSSC
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