THE triumphant maiden visit of Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ (RSSC) Seven Seas Explorer to New Zealand (pictured) has been somewhat tempered by a last-minute move from authorities who have ordered that the ship return to international waters for more work to clean its hull. Explorer was welcomed by a water...
THE triumphant maiden visit of Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ (RSSC) Seven Seas Explorer to New Zealand (pictured) has been somewhat tempered by a last-minute move from authorities who have ordered that the ship return to international waters for more work to clean its hull.
Explorer was welcomed by a water salute on her inaugural arrival to Auckland yesterday morning – but later in the day guests were advised the ship would be returning to international waters, and the first port of call, in the Bay of Islands, had been cancelled.
Guests on board have confirmed via social media they are currently sitting about 31 nautical miles off Tauranga, posting that “apparently the hull cleaning conducted last week was a failure”.
The biosecurity issue for ships visiting New Zealand has plagued several cruise ships this season, including Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess, Viking’s Orion and Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth, all of which have been forced to modify itineraries in order to satisfy New Zealand officials (CW 10 Jan).
Despite the ructions, those on board are being well catered for on the “most luxurious ship ever built”, with RSSC also this week launching its Upgrade Your Horizon offers of suite upgrades, savings of up to 40% and reduced deposits across sailings through to 2025 – for more details see rssc.com/specials.
