Ultra-rich splashes of up to $ 200,000 on luxury cruise – despite COVID fears

Many predicted that COVID-19 would destroy the cruise industry after horror stories at the start of the pandemic about passengers remained trapped as the virus rages and their ships have been diverted from ports.

But the industry already appears to be bouncing back, with a luxury cruise selling fast despite the pandemic raging across much of the world.

The 700 tickets for the 132-night Regent Seven Seas ‘World Cruise’ were purchased within three hours of going on sale Thursday.

Tickets for the lavish journey started at $ 73,499 per passenger and rose to $ 199,999 per person for a master suite.

“This exceptional response has exceeded all expectations and is without a doubt our strongest cruise launch day in the world,” said Jason Montague, President and CEO of Regent Seven Seas, in a statement shared with NPR.

The pandemic has made many wealthy citizens of the world even richer, and it seems those who are both locked in and cashed in are eager to take to the high seas.

The cruise will call at 66 ports in 31 different countries located on five different continents.

The 34,500 nautical mile route will depart Miami in January 2024.

For more than four months, passengers will live in luxury aboard the Seven Seas Mariner, a boat built in 2001.

The liner offers a staff-to-guest ratio of 1 to 1.6, which means top-notch service is never far away.

The ship has its own casino, jogging track, putting green and paddle tennis court. There is also an array of duty free shops and theaters.

Each costume has its own balcony, but the master suite is the crown jewel of the ship.

The suite is described as “Chic Park Avenue” and has two and a half bathrooms and two private balconies.

Regent Seven Seas says there is more interest than ever in their luxury offerings.

“Remarkably, we found that interest wasn’t just coming from our past customers, and we saw a big increase in the number of first-time travelers,” said Montague.

He added that many new travelers were “keen to book the high end of our suites”.

Last year, thousands of cruise ship passengers were stranded at sea as countries closed their borders amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

Several have fallen ill with the virus, and some have even died on cruise ships.

These stories have prompted some to speculate that the cruise industry will be turned upside down. The CDC even placed a “no sail” order on cruises.

However, as more people around the world get vaccinated and the risk of getting sick and dying from COVID decreases, cruise ships are heading back to sea.

In June, Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Edge became the first ship to leave the United States.