It is 30 October, and I’ll say this up front: two Seven Seas Explorer sailings leave Tokyo tomorrow, so that ship has sailed, or very nearly. The rest of the season is the real story. Over the next few months this 754-guest, all-suite ship works her way down through Asia and then spends the southern summer around Australia and New Zealand. That means Melbourne on New Year’s Eve, the Fiordland fjords, and a long run up the Queensland coast to Darwin and Bali. The practical question is whether she is right for you, and the answer depends on what you want from the trip.
Quick Reference: Seven Seas Explorer This Season
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Ship | Seven Seas Explorer (Regent Seven Seas, Explorer class), built 2016, 55,254 tons, 13 decks |
| Guests / crew | 754 passengers, 552 crew |
| Season covered | Autumn in our records: sailings from 31 October 2026 to 16 February 2027 |
| Region | Australia / New Zealand (plus Asian legs on either side) |
| Home ports | Sydney, Tokyo, Benoa (Bali), Hong Kong. Other departures: Laem Chabang, Auckland, Darwin |
| Typical lengths | 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18 and 21 nights |
| Sailings in the period | 12 in total, seven of them Australia or New Zealand voyages |
| CDC inspection score | 100 out of 100 (inspected 22 May 2026) |
Two caveats before we go further. The “autumn” label comes from the calendar, because the season opens on 31 October. Once she crosses the equator, Australia and New Zealand are in late spring and then high summer. Also, our database has no port lists for these sailings. Everything below about ports comes from third-party schedule listings, and those disagree with each other in places. I flag the disagreements where they matter. Regent can also change a routing, so confirm the final itinerary before you pay.
The Ship: Who Seven Seas Explorer Suits
This is a small, all-suite ship in a world of 5,000-guest floating cities. At 754 guests and 552 crew, there are about 1.4 guests per crew member. The look is polished and quiet rather than shouty. Our ship page has the specs, but the vibe is long dinners, good steak (Prime 7 is the one people rave about), and a lot of people saying “marvellous” in the bar.
It suits you if:
- you want destinations over deck parties and would rather spend your time ashore;
- you hate nickel-and-diming. Regent’s fare bundles most extras (more on that below);
- you are happy to spend a fortnight or more on a single voyage.
It does not suit you if you need waterslides, a casino with a pulse, or a headline stage show every night. It is also not a budget option, as the money section makes clear.
One more thing worth knowing: Regent has announced that Explorer goes into dry dock in April 2028, with suites cut from 373 to 344, which is 29 fewer. The layout you see this season won’t last forever, if that matters to you.
On cleanliness, she scored a perfect 100 on her most recent CDC inspection on 22 May 2026, well above the 86 pass mark. You can check the report yourself in our CDC inspection lookup.
The Itineraries: Which Sailing to Pick
Here is how the Australia and New Zealand sailings break down, using our night counts. Some retailers count a night more than our records do. For example, the Sydney round trip appears as 10 nights on some sites and 9 in our data, so check the night count on your booking confirmation. The full list lives on our Seven Seas Explorer itineraries page. Here is how I’d choose:
- 16 nights, Sydney to Auckland (29 December): the headline act, sold as “Toast to the Fjords”. Listings show Melbourne over New Year’s Eve, Hobart, then a run round New Zealand. One listing puts Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds on 6 January. Another lists the same voyage with Christchurch and no fjords, so ask your agent which is current. Pick this if the fjords are the reason you are here.
- 14 nights, Auckland to Sydney (14 January): the reverse direction. A listing shows Bay of Islands, Tauranga, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, then Burnie in Tasmania, Melbourne and Sydney. I saw no fjords on it. Pick it for wine, Art Deco and a gentler pace.
- 9 nights, Sydney round trip (19 December): an Australian Christmas. Listings show Eden, Melbourne, Phillip Island, Geelong and Hobart, with no port listed for 25 December. It is the easiest sailing to fit into a holiday, and no one-way flight is needed.
- 15 nights, Benoa to Sydney (3 December): Lombok, Komodo, Darwin, then the Queensland coast (Cooktown, Cairns, Townsville, Airlie Beach, Brisbane) into Sydney. This is the choice for reef-and-dragon people.
- 12 nights, Sydney to Darwin and 18 nights, Sydney to Benoa (both 28 January): the same first 12 nights up the coast. The 18-night then continues to Bali. The 6-night Darwin to Benoa sailing on 9 February is that tail on its own, and 12 + 6 = 18.
- 14 nights, Benoa to Laem Chabang (16 February): Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo and Vietnam on the way to Bangkok.
The Asian legs fill the gaps: 21 and 9 nights from Tokyo on 31 October, 11 nights from Hong Kong on 10 November, and 10 nights from Laem Chabang on 22 November. They are Asia sailings rather than Australasian ones, so I’ll leave them there.
The Ports: What’s Actually Worth Doing
These are based on the listings, so treat the exact stops as provisional.
- Melbourne: on the 29 December sailing, listings show her arriving on 31 December and leaving at 4 pm on 1 January. That puts you in town for New Year’s Eve instead of in Sydney. For laneway coffee and street art, you could not ask for better.
- Hobart: Salamanca Market and the MONA museum are the obvious targets, and you won’t regret either.
- The fjords: if they are on your sailing, they are the point of the whole trip. You are on the open deck in the mist, and it feels like the edge of the world.
- Wellington: Te Papa, the national museum, is free and genuinely excellent.
- Bay of Islands: the Waitangi Treaty Grounds are the place to understand New Zealand’s founding story.
- Napier: Art Deco architecture and vineyards, on the January Auckland to Sydney voyage.
- Cairns, Cooktown and Airlie Beach: your Great Barrier Reef and Whitsundays access. Reef excursions are the draw.
- Komodo: dragons, and it is as strange as it sounds.
Regent’s fare includes shore excursions, so the cost of a day out is your time rather than your wallet. That makes it easy to try things.
Conditions and Packing
This is a season of two climates and four weather moods.
- Southern coast and New Zealand (December to January): summer, but variable. Hobart and Dunedin can be cool, even in January, so pack layers and a proper windproof.
- Fiordland: wet. Estimates for Milford Sound’s January rainfall vary hugely by source, from roughly 280 mm to over 700 mm. Take a real waterproof, not a cute one. Sandflies also lurk, so bring repellent.
- Queensland and Darwin (late December to February): hot, humid and in the wet season. Cairns highs are around 32°C. Official stinger season in the Northern Territory runs from 1 October to 31 May, and Cairns advice is to wear a stinger suit in the water from November. Wet season also overlaps with cyclone season, so be aware itineraries can shift if weather turns.
- Sun: the Australian sun is fierce, even when cloudy. Hat, sunscreen, sunglasses.
- Paperwork: everyone arriving in New Zealand by cruise ship must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration, and New Zealand takes biosecurity seriously, so wash the hiking boots and declare the apple. Fines apply. Customs sets the rules, so check their cruise page (if you need a visa or NZeTA, you must hold it).
Money: Where the Value Is
I’ll be blunt: this is luxury cruising, and it is priced accordingly. The one fare I could verify reliably was a published suite fare of US$19,599 per person (double occupancy, taxes and fees included) on one US agency’s page for the 16-night Sydney to Auckland sailing. That works out at about US$1,225 per person per night, and US$39,198 for two. A different listing showed US$19,299, which is US$300 lower, so fares differ between sellers. I couldn’t pin down reliable fares for the other sailings, so get live quotes.
The value argument is the inclusions. Retailer guides list the following as covered in the fare:
- prepaid gratuities (our tipping guide explains why that is a big deal on other lines);
- premium drinks and a stocked minibar;
- unlimited Wi-Fi and specialty dining;
- valet laundry;
- unlimited shore excursions.
Those are retailer descriptions rather than Regent’s terms, and Regent has changed its fare structure before, so check the current terms. Price a comparable line honestly, adding drinks, tips, excursions and Wi-Fi, before assuming Regent costs more. Compare per night rather than per sailing, and remember that one-way sailings need flights. Some Regent offers include air, but not all do, so ask.
Timing: When to Book and What Sells Out
Here is the countdown from today. The Tokyo sailings leave tomorrow, so those are out. Hong Kong is 11 days away and Laem Chabang is 23 days away. I haven’t seen live availability for either, so ask Regent or an agent if you fancy a last-minute Asia run. For the sailings that matter:
- 3 December (Benoa): 34 days away
- 19 December (Sydney round trip): 50 days
- 29 December (Sydney to Auckland): 60 days
- 14 January (Auckland to Sydney): 76 days
- 28 January (Sydney): 90 days
- 9 February (Darwin): 102 days
- 16 February (Benoa): 109 days
The 29 December sailing straddles Christmas and New Year’s, and it carries the fjords, so I’d expect it to be the tightest. That is my inference rather than a stock check, so ask an agent for live availability. One Regent guide puts excursion booking at 300 days before sailing and dining reservations at 75 days (365 and 90 days for Concierge guests). Windows can vary by suite category, so check your booking on Regent’s website for your exact dates. On those figures, excursion booking is open for every sailing here. Dining reservations are open for the 3, 19 and 29 December sailings, and the window for 14 January opens tomorrow. The later sailings follow. Book the popular tours first, and grab the steakhouse as soon as your window opens.
FAQ: Seven Seas Explorer in Australia and New Zealand
Is Seven Seas Explorer a good ship for an Australia and New Zealand cruise?
Yes, if you want a small, all-suite ship with a high crew ratio and an itinerary-first approach. At 754 guests she can reach ports that giant ships struggle with. It is a weaker fit if you want big-ship entertainment or a low price. Her Sydney to Auckland sailing is the most scenic option this season.
What’s the best time to cruise the New Zealand fjords?
This season, the fjord day is listed for 6 January 2027, in the middle of the New Zealand summer. Fiordland is wet whatever the month, and rain makes the waterfalls spectacular. Estimates for January rainfall at Milford Sound range from about 280 mm to over 700 mm depending on the source. Pack waterproofs and repellent, and treat clear skies as a bonus.
Is Seven Seas Explorer all-inclusive?
Mostly, yes. Retailer guides list gratuities, premium drinks, specialty dining, Wi-Fi, valet laundry and unlimited shore excursions as included in the fare. Airfare is not standard and appears only in some offers. Because these descriptions come from retailers, confirm the details with Regent or your agent for your specific sailing before you book.
How clean is Seven Seas Explorer? What’s her CDC score?
Her latest CDC Vessel Sanitation Program score is 100 out of 100, from an inspection on 22 May 2026. A score of 86 or above counts as satisfactory. You can check the underlying report yourself through our CDC inspection lookup, and see how she compares on our cleanest-ships rankings.
Do I need to declare anything arriving in New Zealand by cruise ship?
Yes. Every cruise traveller must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration by the time the ship reaches its first New Zealand port. It covers immigration status and biosecurity. Passengers who need a visa or NZeTA must hold one. Unintentionally taking biosecurity-risk items ashore can mean a fine, so declare food, and clean your boots and gear.
How many passengers does Seven Seas Explorer carry?
Our records list 754 passengers and 552 crew, on a ship of 55,254 tons and 13 decks. Regent markets her as roughly 750 guests. That is small enough that port days feel manageable, and it helps explain why she can offer a high level of service compared with mainstream ships.
The Bottom Line
Seven Seas Explorer is the right ship for you if you want a quiet, well-run, all-inclusive cruise built around places, and you can afford roughly US$1,225 per person per night for the Dec 29 sailing, the one fare I could verify. For New Zealand, pick the 16-night Sydney to Auckland sailing on 29 December for the fjords and a New Year’s Eve in Melbourne, or the 14-night Auckland to Sydney sailing on 14 January for wine and Art Deco. For Australia only, the 9-night Sydney round trip on 19 December or the Queensland coast sailings make sense. Skip her if you want big-ship entertainment or you are watching your budget. Whichever you choose, pack a waterproof, bring repellent, and confirm the final port list with Regent.
Ships in This Story
- Seven Seas Explorer Regent Seven Seas · Latest CDC score 100
Try our free cruise games & calculators
Explore real CDC inspection scores and outbreak data for every cruise ship.