Meet the World Navigator, a New Luxurious Hybrid Cruise Ship
The World Navigator will have its own spa deck when it launches next July. The exclusive cruise vessel will offer a superyacht-like experience as it makes its inaugural Holy Land and Black and Mediterranean cruises in the summer and fall. The vessel can accommodate 196 passengers on cruises that run from seven to 24 days.
This ship was designed to have a luxurious edge over competitors, with locally inspired gourmet dining, free yoga, Pilates and spin classes, and large, spacious staterooms. Its suites have butler service. But the new 947-square foot SeaSpa by L’Occitane makes it unique among the highest offerings of the cruise ship market. The spa, with two treatment rooms, massage, infrared sauna and a “serenity” lounge, was designed to offer the same experiences and treatments that L’Occitane developed in France’s Provence region for its global spa network.
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“The SeaSpa by L’Occitane will offer fun-seeking guests the luxury brand’s Mediterranean art-de-vivre with the same top-quality service and ingredients for which L’Occitane is known,” said Mário Ferreira, chairman of Mystic Invest, the parent company of Atlas Ocean Voyages, in a statement.
While the onboard experience is upscale, World Navigator’s itinerary includes travels to off-beat, bucket-list destinations. The trip to the Holy Land, Black and Mediterranean Seas next summer will be followed by voyages to more remote destinations in the Caribbean, South America and Antarctic over the winter. Its all-inclusive pricing handles everything from round-trip air travel to all food, drinks and shore excursions—items that would be add-ons on most other cruise ships.
The vessel itself was designed to enhance sustainability, with a hybrid engine that uses a fifth less fuel than similar-sized cruise ships. It has a hydro-jet propulsion system that allows it to cruise in virtual silence at five knots, so it won’t disturb local habitats, while using GPS technology to hover over reefs or other sensitive eco-systems, rather than dropping anchor and potentially damaging the ocean floor.
Accommodations range across eight classes, from the 183-square-foot Adventure category cabins to 465-square-foot Navigator suites, with separate living quarters and bedrooms, as well as balconies that span the width of the suite. Besides the spa, the boat also has a helipad, jogging track, swimming pool and separate dining areas.
The initial season will include 10 itineraries, all with unusual shore visits. The 16-night Black Sea trip offers an overland adventure from Odessa to Kiev that stops in Pripyat, Ukraine, near the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. If that’s a bit too adventurous, the itineraries also include visits to archaeological sites and off-the-beaten-path trails that few tourists ever see.
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