Regent Seven Seas’ New Long-Haul Cruises Elevate Cape Town’s Role in Global Luxury Voyages
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has unveiled a groundbreaking set of itineraries for the 2026/27 season, positioning Cape Town and South Africa at the heart of its global luxury cruise network. Among the highlights are a 25-night transcontinental sailing from Lisbon to Cape Town and a 30-night Cape Town to Singapore voyage, both operated by the newly-refurbished Seven Seas Navigator as part of the line’s “Navigate the Seasons” collection.
The Lisbon-to-Cape Town journey departs on February 12, 2027, tracing the Atlantic coast of Africa with an itinerary that blends island escapes and West African discovery. After calls in Madeira and the Canary Islands, guests will visit Cape Verde, Senegal, The Gambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The voyage includes an overnight stay in Walvis Bay, Namibia, before concluding beneath Table Mountain in Cape Town. This voyage not only highlights the region’s cultural and natural diversity but also underlines South Africa’s growing status as a luxury cruise turnaround port.
Following its African arrival, Seven Seas Navigator will embark on a sweeping 30-night voyage from Cape Town to Singapore, departing March 9, 2027. This itinerary features a call in Port Elizabeth before heading north through the Mozambique Channel with stops in Maputo, the idyllic island of Nosy Be in Madagascar, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and Mahé in the Seychelles, among others. The cruise then continues on to Southeast Asia, bridging southern Africa with Asia-Pacific in a single, seamless journey.
These extended African itineraries are some of the longest and most immersive in Regent’s 2026/27 programme, and will follow a late-2026 dry dock in Genoa for Seven Seas Navigator. The ship will begin a new season of worldwide sailings after her refit, launching with Regent’s first-ever full winter deployment in the Mediterranean before transitioning to these ambitious, intercontinental routes.
According to Jason Montague, Chief Luxury Officer at Regent Seven Seas Cruises, “This new season marks an exciting evolution for Seven Seas Navigator and for Regent. As the leading ultra-luxury cruise line, we are dedicated to curating an exceptional, unforgettable experience for our guests across the fleet.” Montague emphasized the blend of “quieter winters in the Mediterranean’s most beloved destinations” and “adventures in Asia-Pacific and rare overnight stays in iconic ports of call,” reflecting Regent’s ongoing commitment to immersive, effortlessly luxurious travel.
The expanded deployment has significant implications for Africa’s travel sector. The inclusion of Cape Town as a major embarkation and disembarkation point in a premium cruise programme drives visibility for South African tourism and opens new opportunities for African travel professionals to engage affluent international clients. The itineraries combine lengthy stays in African ports, promoting deeper exploration and extended land-based touring, which can be leveraged by local operators and inbound specialists.
Seven Seas Navigator, designed for extended ocean crossings, accommodates 496 guests in 244 all-suite cabins and is supported by a crew of 365. The ship’s configuration—multiple lounges, diverse dining venues, and expansive public spaces—ensures a comfortable onboard experience, ideal for the longer voyages that are increasingly in demand among luxury travellers.
Other notable itineraries in the 2026/27 season include a Rome–Barcelona winter Mediterranean sailing, an Istanbul–Athens Eastern Mediterranean journey, a Tokyo roundtrip through Japan and South Korea, a South Pacific adventure from Lautoka, and a Sydney–Bali crossing through northern Australia and Indonesia. Each itinerary showcases Regent’s strategy of offering destination-intensive, culturally immersive voyages with a focus on extended time in port and unique regional highlights.
For African travel industry professionals, these developments point to a growing opportunity to capture luxury cruise business, facilitate pre- and post-cruise land arrangements, and forge new partnerships with global cruise lines seeking to deepen their engagement with the continent. The trend toward longer, slower-paced luxury voyages that connect Africa with Europe, Asia, and the Pacific is set to drive fresh demand for creative, high-value travel solutions throughout the region.
