The only Regent ship on a clock
Every other ship in this fleet is a question about preference. Navigator is a question about timing. In January 2028 she stops being a Regent ship — she has been chartered to Avora Residences, renamed Avora Lumina, and converted into 242 private residences for a three-year circumnavigation out of Lisbon. After twenty-nine years, the oldest ship in ultra-luxury's most inclusive fleet is becoming real estate.
That single fact reorganizes how you should read her. The usual criticism of Navigator — that she is the oldest hardware Regent sells, that not every suite has a balcony, that her public rooms are smaller than the Explorer trio's — is all true and all beside the point if what you want is the last of something. She is the final link to the Radisson Seven Seas era, and the link is being cut on a published date.
She is also, right now, usually the cheapest way into a Regent fare. The same unlimited excursions, the same included flights on many routes, the same open bar and gratuities — on the smallest ship, generally at the friendliest price in the fleet. For a first Regent cruise that is a genuinely sensible trade, not a compromise.
If Navigator interests you at all, sail her in 2027. She will spend her final Regent seasons in Europe, the South Pacific and East Asia, and a further refurbishment is scheduled for late 2026 — so the version you sail will be freshly done and then gone. Waiting is the one strategy that cannot work here.
Four lives, one hull
The strangest CV in ultra-luxury
Most cruise ships have one life. Navigator is on her third and her fourth is already booked. Tap through the whole arc.
Hull history per shipbuilding and maritime records; the Avora acquisition was announced in March 2026. Verified July 2026 — confirm sailing dates directly, as the handover approaches.
The ship, in numbers
| Measure | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Gross tonnage | Roughly half the ship |
| Guests (double) | 260 fewer people |
| Crew | Ratio stays close |
| Length | 54 m shorter |
| Suites | All ocean-view |
| Private verandas | The real difference |
The number that matters in that table is the last one. Navigator is all-suite but not all-balcony. All 245 of her suites are ocean-view, but only most of them — not all — have a private veranda. Everywhere else in the modern Regent fleet, a balcony is simply assumed. Here it is a booking decision, and the cheapest categories are where the compromise lives.
The rest reads better than the tonnage suggests. Because the hull was drawn for scientific work rather than maximum berths, she carries fewer guests than a ship her size normally would — which is precisely why her space-per-guest figure holds up against much newer, much larger ships. She feels roomier than 28,803 tons has any right to.
How Navigator scores
Every score here is relative to her fleetmates. Measured against cruising at large she would start from a very high floor — this is ultra-luxury, and she carries the same fare as the flagships. She loses points only where age genuinely costs you: the latest hardware, and the wider public rooms of the Explorer trio. She scores a ten on scarcity because she is the one ship here with a deadline.
Who she fits
Sail Navigator if you…
- Want the full Regent fare — unlimited excursions and all — at the fleet's friendliest price
- Would rather be on a 490-guest ship than a 750-guest one, full stop
- Like the idea of sailing something before it disappears, and January 2028 reads as a deadline rather than a warning
- Are drawn to the far-flung end of the map — her final seasons run Europe, the South Pacific and East Asia
- Are testing whether Regent's all-inclusive maths works for you before committing to a flagship fare
Choose another ship if…
- A private balcony is non-negotiable — about one suite in ten here does not have one, so read the category carefully
- You want the latest ship Regent has; that is Prestige, arriving December 2026
- You are traveling as a wider family group and want the larger public rooms of the Explorer trio
- You are booking beyond 2027 — after January 2028 she is not a Regent ship at all
- The Regent Suite and its private spa are the draw; those live on the Explorer class
If you asked us to pick
Keep exploring the fleet
Ask Seabound about Navigator
Sailing her before she goes?
Tell us your dates and how far you want to travel and we will find her remaining seasons, flag which suite categories have a veranda, and tell you honestly whether waiting for Prestige would suit you better.
Instant answers from our guides · an independent advisory, not affiliated with or endorsed by Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
Quick answers
Is Seven Seas Navigator leaving the Regent fleet?
Yes. Avora Residences announced in March 2026 that it had acquired her on a nine-year charter with a nominal purchase option. She leaves Regent in January 2028 and becomes Avora Lumina, a residential ship with 242 private residences sailing a three-year continuous circumnavigation from Lisbon. Until then she continues sailing normal Regent itineraries.
How old is Seven Seas Navigator?
She entered service in 1999, making her Regent's oldest ship. Her hull is older still: it was laid down in St Petersburg as the Soviet satellite-tracking vessel Akademik Nikolay Pilyugin, abandoned unfinished by November 1993, then completed as a cruise ship by T. Mariotti in Genoa.
Do all suites on Seven Seas Navigator have balconies?
No — and this is the one specification worth checking before you book. She is all-suite and every suite is ocean-view, but only most of them have a private veranda — the lowest categories are where the compromise sits. She is the only ship in the modern Regent fleet where a balcony is not automatic.
Is Navigator worth sailing given her age?
For the right traveler, yes. She carries the identical Regent fare — unlimited shore excursions, all dining, all beverages, gratuities, and included flights on many routes — usually at the lowest price in the fleet, on the smallest ship. She has been refurbished repeatedly, gaining fleetwide Starlink connectivity in 2024, with further work scheduled for late 2026.
How does Navigator compare to the Explorer class?
She is roughly half the tonnage with 260 fewer guests: 28,803 tons and 490 guests against 55,254 tons and 750. The Explorer trio give you newer hardware, larger public rooms, universal balconies and the Regent Suite. Navigator gives you a smaller, quieter ship and a lower fare for the same inclusions.
What will happen to the ship after 2028?
She will sail as Avora Lumina, converted to 242 private residences of roughly 300 to 1,173 square feet, on a three-year continuous world circumnavigation visiting more than 140 countries and staying in port up to five days at a time. Avora Residences was founded by Mikael Petterson, who also founded Villa Vie.
Navigator has a published last date. If she appeals, the plan is 2027 — not later.
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