How can a £1million cruise ever be worth it?

Do you have a spare £1 million tucked away? Then a new holiday package from Six Star Cruises, billed as the world’s most expensive cruise, might just set your world alight. You’ll also need 123 days free to travel the world - might be tough to negotiate the time off with your boss, but if you can afford it, well, you probably are the boss.

Kicking off on November 11, 2021, with first class flights from Heathrow to Dubai and a three-night stay in a Royal two-bedroom suite at the landmark Burj Al Arab hotel, this sets the tone for a trip that screams VIP at every twist and turn until the first class flights home from Tokyo on March 13, 2022.

The itinerary is built around three Regent Seven Seas Cruises on Regent Seven Seas Explorer, knitted together with extravagant city breaks in Dubai, Hong Kong, Sydney, Auckland and Tokyo. The first leg is a 32-night cruise from Hong Kong to Sydney, the second is a 30-night cruise to Bali and the third is a 32-night cruise to Tokyo, meaning 94 nights of the 123-day itinerary will be spent at sea, sleeping in the palatial surrounds of Regent Seven Seas Explorer’s Regent Suite.

There’s no chance of travelling light on a trip like this, but fear not, there’s a butler on hand to unpack the suitcases and a laundry service included.

Regent Suite on board Seven Seas Explorer
The Regent Suite is the most exclusive on board Explorer

Visiting 41 ports across 11 countries, with a choice of up to 236 shore excursions, the itinerary explores some of Asia and Australasia’s most appealing destinations, from Halong Bay and Bali to the Great Barrier Reef and the New Zealand fjords.

As it is three separate cruises, the itinerary is not without its overlaps - there are repeat visits to Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Bangkok and Brisbane for example, but as Regent Seven Seas Explorer is billed as the world’s most luxurious cruise ship, it probably wouldn’t be a hardship to remain on board, with free unlimited Canyon Ranch Spa treatments available, in your suite.

Regent Seven Seas has been the subject of a recent Channel 5 series, Secrets of the World’s Most Expensive Cruise, which took cameras on board Explorer to film the line’s fully-inclusive cruises – 24-hour butler service, fine dining and lavish suites make them the most pampering voyages at sea.

Between the cruises, there’s no let-up in the royal treatment, with private transfers by helicopter, private jet or chauffeur-driven vehicles between ports, hotels and airports. Christmas is spent at one of Sydney’s most exclusive hotels, the Park Hyatt, overlooking Sydney Harbour Bridge, offering a crowd-free spot to view the city’s iconic New Year’s Eve fireworks display.

Burj Al Arab, Dubai
The itinerary intersperses luxury cruises with nights in some of the world's most iconic properties

Of course all this special treatment would be diluted if you had to mix with the great unwashed on coach tours traipsing around the local sights, so Six Star Cruises has made sure its £1 million cruisers can stay in their privileged bubble, with private tours of the world’s great attractions.

These include a sunset desert safari from Dubai, tours of Lantau Island from Hong Kong, the Blue Mountains from Sydney, the Waitomo Caves and Hobbiton from Auckland, and a helicopter tour of Mt Fuji. There’ll also be a chauffeur-driven car provided for the entire 13-night stay in Sydney.

PR stunt this may be, but with online searches for luxury cruises having spiked every time Secrets of the World’s Most Expensive Cruise aired, there’s no doubt we all like to find a little bit of time to dream about how we’d spend £1 million.

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