New Cruise Ships for 2023

Oliver

2023 is an exciting time for the world of cruises, here is a quick roundup for the highlights our team have selected.

Explora Journeys first foray into the luxury sector by shipping giant MSC who aim to transform ocean cruising through fresh, new immersive itineraries that are all-inclusive. Set to provide the new generation of luxury cruisers an alternative to the likes of Seabourn, Silversea and Regent Cruises – the ships look stunning with Italian design and cuisine playing a central role.

Explora I (pictured above) sets sails in July and will carry just 922 guests, boasting the ‘ambiance of a luxurious, grand European hotel with oceanfront suites, penthouses and residences.’

Seven Seas Grandeur is the third new ship from Regent Seven Seas Cruises in recent years and will set sail in November. Grandeur will join Explorer and Splendour as the final ship in this latest series. Regent’s main point of difference is their ‘Ultra All Inclusive’ programme which includes premium drinks, Wifi, gratuities and excursions.

Silversea’s Silver Nova (pictured below) will join the fleet in July around the Mediterranean as the worlds first “multi-hybrid” ship. Nova will host only 728 guests with as fresh new design and an asymmetrical, outward facing design.

As clients seek a more authentic and adventurous holiday experience, expedition ships are starting to prove popular.

Seabourn Pursuit, the second of the lines two purpose-built, ultra-luxury expedition vessels, has oceanfront veranda suites and fine dining, including menus by Michelin-starred chef Thomas Keller. The 264 guests can enjoy explorations aboard 24 Zodiacs, kayaks and two six-passenger submarines (set to launch April 2023).

Hurtigruten has launched the first of seven battery-hybrid-powered ships in its Coastal Express fleet. Spanning 11 to 19 days, the company has added seven new adventures in the Arctic which take in some of the most spectacular areas beyond the Arctic Circle onboard the small-size expedition cruise favourite Maud.

Silversea Expeditions’ new 200-guest flagship, Silver Endeavour, has recently been christened in Antarctica. It features onboard lectures and nature films; an observation lounge with wraparound windows; and a glass-enclosed solarium. Silver Endeavour will visit 116 of the planet’s most remote cold-weather destinations across Northern Europe, the Arctic and Antarctica (May 2023-March 2024).

Oceania Cruises is on the radar for those seeking culinary excellence. The company’s first new-build in 11 years – Vista (launching May 2023) – is a hot ticket. The first of two 1,200-guest Allura-class ships, it will feature culinary options from informal to extravagant. Unprecedented for a ship of its size, there will be 12 dining venues; four of which are new to this ship. Guests can expect contemporary American dishes at Ember and wellness-focused Vitality Cuisine at Aquamar Kitchen alongside favourites such as Polo Grill, Toscana and Red Ginger.

The fourth ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class series is also set to raise the culinary bar. Celebrity Ascent has four dining rooms and eight speciality restaurants – all with menus by Michelin-starred chef Cornelius Gallagher, the company’s vice-president, food and beverage operations (launching December 2023).

The second 228-guest vessel in Scenic Ocean Cruises’ Discovery fleet will continue the company’s culinary quest across its 10 restaurants. Guests aboard Scenic Eclipse II will savour fine French gastronomy in Lumiere; private dining in Chef’s Table @ Elements; as well as culinary masterclasses from resident chefs in Epicure (launching April 2023).

Your Cruise Experts
As a reminder, we have experienced many of the popular cruise lines ourselves including Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Seabourn, Celebrity Cruises, P&O, NCL and Virgin Voyages – so we are well versed on the ins and outs of cruise holidays.

Back Share

Great cruise, boat, taxi, hotel, meal (and more!) arrangements in Athens and Corfu. Oliver has this amazing ability to know what we would enjoy, which is why I've already booked my next trip with RB! To the Carribbean we go in November!! 🥳 Thanks Oliver and the entire team at RB!

Zain Qazi

‘As usual, Sam at RB Collection arranged our recent Iceland/Scotland cruise with attention to every possible detail. He remembered what had worked for us previously and used that knowledge to enhance our experience. No question was too much trouble for either Sam or his colleague Clare. We would not consider anyone else for our holiday arrangements; RB Collection are truly superb!’

Hilary Carroll

Wonderful way to book a wonderful holiday. Such a personalised & attentive approach to helping us find the perfect family holiday! Couldn’t recommend more!!!

Pandora Bahrami

They found us the perfect hotel for our London stay. Exactly the right balance of perfect location, incredible breakfast and they really listened to what we wanted. I even had access to one of London best gyms included in the stay!

Katie May Medley

RB Collections are a wonderful family run firm who welcome you into the family from the first holiday you book with them. My special thanks go to Clare who always ensures my booking runs smoothly and takes the stress out of the process of decisions by ‘knowing’ and implementing my preferences using information she has ascertained from previous bookings. I don’t have to remember…..Clare does it for me.

Janet Goodwin

Having just returned from a fantastic long weekend at Disneyland Paris, we had to leave a review for Sam and the team at RB Collection. They removed all the stress from organising the trip and ensured everything was in place for a truly memorable trip for all the family. We can’t thank them enough and we will certainly be back for future holidays. Our experience has been 10/10 👍🏻

Mike Boyden

Just returned home from a wonderful holiday in Madeira arranged by Sam from RB Collection. Every detail from flights, hotel, transfers, recommended restaurants and "must to do's" was excellent and all documents arrived by post in good time for checking before departing on our holiday. Due to the weather, our journey was delayed by two days. However after contacting RB on the emergency number in the holiday package, all was sorted by the team - an upgraded hotel room at the same hotel, flight, transfers, taking away all the stress from ourselves and allowing us to enjoy our extra two days. One cannot put a price on a phone call and text messages when something unfortunate happens and you feel vulnerable. On our return, the excellent service has continued by Sam and colleagues who are now dealing with the necessary correspondence with the airline company. My husband and I and children at home who were concerned when we were stranded, cannot thank the team at RB enough for their support and professionalism and we are looking forward to many more holidays using the company. Tom & Janet

Tom&Janet Marks

We came to RB Collection with an idea of some of the places we wanted to visit in Rajasthan, India - and they made it all happen, expertly and efficiently. Oliver and Clare were a pleasure to deal with, sorting every aspect and adding their own ideas to really enhance this wonderful trip. They checked in while we were away to make sure everything was going well (which it was) and I knew they'd be on hand if we needed anything. Thank you!

David Page

The purpose of this review isn't to confirm that our holiday was a 5 star experience (which it was, by the way) but it's a review to say that RB Collection's involvement in planning, booking and safety netting our holiday experiences has been truly 5 stars. Are people bothered if my wife and I had a great holiday - I suspect no...... Are people interested in the company that was instrumental in creating 5 star holidays - I suspect yes ......and so it's RB Collection's skills and involvement that get this 5 star rating. As a family we have booked our own holidays almost exclusively by ourselves for 35 years - until a year ago when we used RB Collection's services for the first time to book a holiday to the Ice Hotel in Sweden. We chose to book through them because we had no experience or knowledge of the Ice Hotel and their exclusive Ice Hotel Website was great. Their involvement made all the difference - in particular their personal commitment to making things work and since the first contact, they have been getting to know our travel "needs, wants and likes" more by each contact. Our next holiday was a Silversea Cruise - one that we could easily have booked ourselves, but RB's influence allowed us to save a significant (4 figure!) sum. Reason alone to recommend! Our third and most recent booking with RB was a safari which could not have been a better holiday experience. The reasons for this are as follows: 1. Up until raising the possibility, I knew nothing about safaris i.e. where to go / at what time of year / for how long etc. Within 72 hours of a discussion of a suggestion by me for a Tanzania trip (based on a google AI search), I was infinitely far better informed and after weighing up possibilities, we opted for a Kenyan trip to Amboselli and the Masai Mara. What a brilliant decision! 2. Whilst the travel options were perfect for our particular needs, RB's involvement to seamlessly arrange the multiple transfers on our journey came to the fore. This was particularly evident on coming back from Zanzibar (beach unwind) to Nairobi International, which would have presented a significant challenge had we opted for self booking, due to the (multiple) security & immigration stages. (Yes, of course - we would have negotiated the stages - we're grown ups - we can look after ourselves, but oh my. the loss of wasted heartbeats would have been significant!) Turns out that what was arranged for us was faster than "fast track" and I certainly became aware of lots of people looking enviously towards us and our safari representative as we whizzed by! 3. Photography is an important aspect of our holidays. Good photographic subjects / scenes are our means of ensuring that we're seeing good stuff, which - IMHO - is a main focus of a holiday. Our safari guides had been well briefed about my photography wishes and from the get-go, they discussed what we were looking for from our holiday and so every day we had a mutually planned itinerary for the wildlife that never disappointed. Our guides had been particularly selected from the briefing given by RB pre-travel to the safari people. In a nutshell, RB have changed our attitude to holidays and their associated experiences. In our time with them, we have undertaken holidays that we have never done before and we are now definitely thinking differently about what to do in the future. Add to this, the reassurance and safety net that travel agency booking confers and I think that RB Collection definitely deserves a 5 star review. By the way - we live distant to their location - all of our dealings have been by telephone and email so don't think you need to be locals to use their services.

Colin Scott

A big shout out for RB Collection ….they have done it again !!!! Made our World touring a pleasure AGAIN ….having done the cruising in various parts of the world …the Canada trip…..the India & Nepal trip…& just recently the Hongkong Australia New Zealand trip…it’s like being transported on a Dreamliner !every attention to detail from getting to the airport arriving at the destinations & being picked up & taken to the various types of accomadation ….Thanks Team RB & especially to Sam for this last one 🌴☀️😎

Linda Taylor

call: 01543 258631 email: vip@rbcollection.com

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